March 10, 2026; St. Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild’s goal scorer Filip Gustavsson (32) and left wing Kirill Kaprizov (97) are celebrating the team’s victory in Game 3 against the Utah Mammoths held at the Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Many teams in the NHL may have to choose between scoring goals from their best stars or deep players.
The Minnesota Wild had a good time Thursday when they took on the Philadelphia Flyers in St. Paul, Minnesota.
“It’s good that some of the guys we expect to score are continuing to play well,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “But when you have a player who can score and produce, it takes the pressure off a little bit. It makes it harder for the team to defend.”
The Flyers are in contention for their second win in as many nights after defeating the Washington Capitals 4-1 in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Owen Tippett had a goal and an assist for the Flyers, while Travis Konecny, Trevor Zegras and defenseman Jamie Drysdale each had a goal.
Philadelphia is 5-2-0 in its last seven games as it aims to advance to the postseason. The Flyers are seven points behind the Boston Bruins in the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Wild also have playoff hopes and sit third in the Central Division. Minnesota is 3-0-1 in their last four contests and has a record of 12-3-2 in their last 17 overall.
Kirill Kaprizov led the way for Minnesota. He has 78 points (37 goals, 41 assists) in 65 games this season, and is also leading the team with 16 goals on the power play.
Hynes said Kaprizov is playing as well as he has all season. He praised his star after the Wild’s 5-0 win over the Utah Mammoth on Tuesday night, during which Kaprizov finished with a goal and an assist.
“Kirill, he played with physicality and power,” Hynes said. “He’s a really skilled player, but when he plays his power game, when he’s persistent like a dog with a bone, that’s when it really stands out. I think that goal (he scored against Utah) shows that.”
On the other side of the bench, Konecny leads Philadelphia in goals (24), assists (34) and points (58). Zegras is second on the team in all three categories (22, 31, 53).
The Flyers will likely start Dan Vladar in net one night after Samuel Ersson started against the Capitals. Vladar is 20-11-6 with a 2.52 goals-against average and .903 save percentage this season, and in five career games with the Wild, he is 3-1-1, 2.63 GAA and .896 save percentage.
Vladar will try to bounce back from a tough performance against the New York Rangers on Monday, where he scored six goals on 24 shots.
Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said Vladar got an extra day of rest on Wednesday after a tough game earlier in the week.
“He might have been a little tired,” Tocchet said. “You know he’ll never admit it. We have to be careful about that.”
Minnesota could counter with Filip Gustavsson or Jesper Wallstedt in net.
Gustafsson is 24-10-6 with a 2.46 GAA and .913 save percentage this season and is 0-2-0 with a 6.09 GAA and .709 save percentage against Philadelphia.
Wallstedt is 14-6-5 this season with a 2.81 GAA and a .911 save percentage and is 0-0-1 with a 1.92 GAA and a .905 save percentage in his lone start with the Flyers.
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