MN Wild Goalie Calls Out Blues Goalie for “Dirty Play” on Kirill Kaprizov
· Yahoo Sports
The Minnesota Wild held on for a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues at home Thursday night, but the final few minutes left a sour taste. With 4:31 left in the third period and Minnesota up 5-2, Blues goalie Joel Hofer dumped Kirill Kaprizov behind his net, sending Minnesota’s superstar tumbling to the ice and eventually down the tunnel for the rest of the night.
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Joel Hofer interference penalty on Kaprizov https://t.co/NIhfj6YSkm
— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) October 16, 2026
Hofer got two minutes for interference. Kaprizov, who had a goal and two assists before exiting early, spent time in the medical room after the game. Thankfully, head coach John Hynes told reporters during his postgame press conference that Kirill is OK.
MN Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt calls Joel Hofer hit on Kaprizov “dirty”
That’s great news, since the Wild already have enough injury issues to worry about. However, some of Kaprizov’s teammates were not thrilled with the hit on their best offensive player.
Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt certainly didn’t hold back, labeling Hofer’s play on his teammate “dirty.” Minnesota’s goalie also confirmed to reporters that, “in the heat of the moment,” when he was staring across the ice at Hofer, there were “maybe” some thoughts of skating over and dropping the gloves to defend Kaprizov’s honor.
Jesper Wallstedt confirms that when MN Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov was laid out by Joel Hofer last night behind the Blues’ net, we almost had a goalie on goalie beatdown at Grand Casino Arena. Russo: ‘After that ugly play with Kirill, were you thinking about going down there [and fighting Hofer]?’ Wallstedt: "I don’t know. In the heat of the moment, maybe. I think it’s a dirty play. There’s no reason for him to go out there and not play the puck and just play the player. He knows, everyone knows, that’s one of our best players."
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 16, 2026
“I don’t know. In the heat of the moment, maybe. I think it’s a dirty play. There’s no reason for him to go out there and not play the puck and just play the player. He knows, everyone knows, that’s one of our best players. Up 5-2, there’s just no reason as a goalie to do that. If they give me a penalty when players are skating through my crease, they should give him penalties for being outside the crease hitting guys. I like him as a guy. I thought that was an ugly play from him.”
Jesper Wallstedt (video above – via the Minnesota Wild)
Wallstedt just staring down at the other end of the ice after Hofer comes out and checks Kaprizov into the end boards. Wild PP, and the fans booing profusely
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) October 16, 2026
Related: MN Wild Reveal More Bad News on Injury Front but Some Good News on Brock Faber
There was no reason for Hofer to go looking for contact, and the shove with his left hand was clearly out of frustration, with the Blues down three goals and less than five minutes to play.
I love how Wallstedt made it about himself a little bit too, when he transitioned his anger over Hofer’s contact on Kaprizov into penalties called against him when he makes contact with skaters in his crease.
Reminder: Hofer was called for a penalty… so Wallstedt’s point is moot. However, you have to love his willingness to remind refs of an entirely separate issue that’s clearly been on his mind lately, when given the opportunity.
What’s next for the MN Wild and Kaprizov
The good news is Kaprizov appears to have dodged anything serious. Through eight games, the highly compensated Russian superstar has 9 goals and 5 assists. Given all of the injuries the Wild have had to deal with already, life without Kirill Kaprizov could be catastrophic.
Minnesota is back at home Sunday against the Columbus Blue Jackets at 5 p.m. CT. Let’s hope Kaprizov is on the ice. In the meantime, it’s worth noting that the Wild won’t see Hofer and the Blues again until Jan. 2. We’ll see how good Wallstedt’s memory is then.