Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild fell flat on Monday night in Los Angeles. The club suffered a 4-2 regulation loss at the hands of the Kings. Certainly, it doesn’t help them gain ground on the Central-leading Colorado Avalanche.
This loss marked their second in three nights to the Los Angeles Kings. Minnesota lost 5-4 in a shootout on Saturday night, the first of the road back-to-back at Crypto.com Arena.
Instead of clearing the Dallas Stars for second place in the Central, the Wild now sit tied with them at 58 points. They both remain 11 points behind the Avs, who suffered only their third regulation loss of the season on Sunday against the Florida Panthers.
Kirill Kaprizov Sounds Off on Loss to Kings
GettyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 03: Kirill Kaprizov #97 of the Minnesota Wild skates to the puck in front of Drew Doughty #8 of the Los Angeles Kings during the first period at Crypto.com Arena on January 03, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Kirill Kaprizov failed to tally a point in the contest, registering only one point (an assist) over the two games in LA.
He spoke with the media after the loss Monday night, and got honest about what he thinks went wrong.
“Always try to hold the neutral zone, we should always play like this. Still, we have a couple chances, and we don’t score.”
Kaprizov was then asked what’s been missing from the Wild’s powerplay unit:
“I think we need to shoot a little more. Win battles after shots, more simple things, you know. Yeah, I feel like sometimes we try to do too much. In terms of the easy passes, we try to do something more creative, you know. I think a little bit more simple, and then harder passes coming.”
The Russian phenom was then asked how much he’d like to end the road trip on a high note:
“Yeah, it’s a long trip. It’s been two weeks, almost. Just try to win the next game, come back to the homestands.”
Wild Look to End Road Trip Positively
GettyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 05: Warren Foegele #37 of the Los Angeles Kings skates the puck against Quinn Hughes #43 of the Minnesota Wild in the second period at Crypto.com Arena on January 05, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Wild have one game left on this brutal road trip that began on December 27th. The road trip has gone decently, with the Wild securing 8 points out of a possible 12 so far. They finish the journey on Thursday in Seattle, and are back home on Saturday against the Islanders.
These Wild, led by head coach John Hynes, have completely flipped the script on the 2025-2026 season.
After a 3-6-3 start where the Wild looked horrid, the tides turned. Minnesota looked absolutely horrid to begin the season, but are now cemented as a top 5 team in the NHL at the worst.
They currently sit at 3rd in the Central, also meaning they are 3rd in the Central division and 3rd in the Western Conference. Frustrating to say the least.
Kirill Kaprizov Gets Honest Following Loss to Kings