Jesper Wallstedt calls out Blues goalie for 'dirty play' on Kirill Kaprizov
· Yahoo Sports
Joel Hofer’s cheap shot that knocked Kirill Kaprizov out of Thursday night’s game between the Wild and Blues had Minnesota goalie Jesper Wallstedt considering a goalie fight.
“Well, I don’t know. In the heat of the moment, maybe,” Wallstedt said when asked after the game if he considered it.
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With about four and a half minutes left in the third period, Hofer left the crease, went behind the net, and interfered with Kaprizov as the Wild superstar raced for the puck with his head turned the other way.
The collision sent Kaprizov flying backward and into the boards. He was visibly shaken, and the Wild training staff escorted him to the locker room for evaluation.
Late in the 3rd period of last night’s game between the Wild and Blues, Joel Hofer came out of his net to play the puck and BODIED Kirill Kaprizov 😳
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 16, 2026
Hofer was handed a 2-minute minor for interference on the play 🫣 pic.twitter.com/H24tTGLfv7
“He’s good,” head coach John Hynes said when asked about Kaprizov.
“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,” Wallstedt said of Hofer. “He 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 of crease hitting guys. I like him as a guy; I thought that was an ugly play from him.”
The Wild won 5-4 to improve to 5-2-1 through eight games. They have a couple of days off before hosting Columbus on Sunday at 5 p.m. CT.
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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Oct 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Wild section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.