Wild give up 3 leads, lose to Islanders in OT in return from road trip

Sarah McLellan, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jan 10, 2026

Published in Hockey

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild’s return home from their longest road trip ever was also one for the record book.

Kirill Kaprizov passed Marian Gaborik for the second-most points in franchise history, but the accomplishment came in a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday, Jan. 10 in the Wild’s first game at Grand Casino Arena in nearly three weeks.

Simon Holmstrom scored the overtime winner.

Kaprizov scored in the second period, breaking a 2-2 tie with his 25th goal of the season and 438th point to take sole possession of second place on the team’s all-time list. He tied Gaborik with two assists in the 3-2 overtime win at Seattle one game earlier. The superstar winger trails only Mikko Koivu, who is the Wild’s scoring leader at 709 points.

But after New York tied the Wild for a third time late in the second, the Islanders secured their first lead on Holmstrom’s cut to the middle 1 minute, 32 seconds into 3-on-3 overtime. His backhander squeaked through goalie Filip Gustavsson’ pads.

Quinn Hughes assisted on every Wild goal, finishing one shy of matching the record he set for a Wild defenseman on the last trip with a four-assist game at Anaheim on Jan. 2.

Ben Jones also had a memorable night, netting his first NHL goal and point, while Matt Boldy buried his team-leading 27th goal on the power play.

Gustavsson had 23 stops and new York’s Ilya Sorokin made 32.

How it happened

The Wild were finally back in St. Paul after going 4-1-2 on a seven-game, 14-day road trip while Grand Casino Arena hosted the World Junior Championship, and they settled in quickly.

Only 2:51 into the first period, Jones circled the net before handing off to Hughes and then skating into the middle to deflect in a Brock Faber shot. Jones’s first career goal came in his 49th NHL game and after he was called up from the minors earlier in the day with Joel Eriksson Ek hurt; Eriksson Ek suffered a lower-body injury vs. the Kraken when he got tied up with another player at the bench and is considered day-to-day.

In a preview of how resilient they’d be all game, the Islanders responded, albeit on an own goal by the Wild; Jean-Gabriel was awarded the equalizer at 4:18 after a loose puck in front went in off Marcus Johansson’s stick.

The Wild finished the period ahead 2-1 after Hughes set up Boldy for a one-timer on a 5-on-3 power play, but New York answered back just 1:29 into the second when the Islanders’ Holmstrom made the Wild pay for a Ryan Hartman giveaway.

Kaprizov had a chance at the go-ahead goal when he deked to his backhand later in the period, but Sorokin got a piece of the shot.

But Sorokin couldn’t deny Kaprizov’s one-timer in tight at 8:26 off a centering pass from Daemon Hunt, the goal bumping Gaborik down to third in Wild all-time scoring.

This was Hughes’ 29th three-assist game to tie Borje Salming and Larry Murphy for the ninth most by a defenseman in NHL history.

Hughes is the first Wild defenseman to have three three-assist games in a single season, and he has six overall this season for the second time in his career; he’s one of four defensemen in NHL history to post six three-assist games in multiple seasons.

Since 1995-96, only three other defensemen have recorded a three-assist game six times in a season.

Turning point

But again, the Islanders caught up to the Wild, this time on a shorthanded goal by Casey Cizikas, who slid in a backhander with 26 seconds left in the second period.

It was the second shorthanded goal allowed by the Wild this season; they finished 1 for 4 on the power play, and New York went 0 for 3.

The Wild were better in the third period, but Sorokin was unbeatable, and the Islanders finally surpassed the Wild on a net-driving goal by Holmstrom after the Wild lost possession in OT.

Key stat

Sorokin made 16 saves in the third period.

Up next

Hughes will get a chance to face off against his brothers Jack and Luke when the Devils drop by St. Paul on Monday, Jan. 12.

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