Sharks vs. Wild Recap: Power Play and Quinn Hughes Carry Minnesota

The Wild beat the Sharks 4-1 in Minnesota on Friday night, and the power play set the tone. Kirill Kaprizov opened the scoring on the man advantage at 7:55 of the 1st. Macklin Celebrini tied it for San Jose at 12:11 of the 2nd, but Maxim Shabanov answered on another Minnesota power play two minutes later. Quinn Hughes and Zach Bogosian added third-period goals at even strength to pull away. Minnesota outshot San Jose 29-24, scored on 2 of its 5 power plays and held the Sharks scoreless on 3 chances. Jesper Wallstedt stopped 23 of 24 shots, while Yaroslav Askarov made 25 saves on 29. Four DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game.

What cashed

Wild ML (-250 at FanDuel): CASHED - Our read: Minnesota had won 7 of its last 10 and San Jose 3 of its last 10. At -250 the price implied about 71%. We framed it as past results, not a prediction. - What happened: The Wild never trailed. They led 1-0 after one, 2-1 after two and closed it out 4-1. - Worth watching: Big favorites are a price question more than a team question. A heavy moneyline is usually better as a building block than a standalone bet.

Quinn Hughes 1+ assists (-255 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Hughes had an assist in 14 of 17 games and was playing nearly 30 minutes a night. - What happened: 1 goal, 2 assists, 2 shots on goal in 31:00 of ice time, including 6:39 on the power play. He assisted on both power-play goals, Kaprizov's at 7:55 of the 1st and Shabanov's at 14:15 of the 2nd, and scored himself at 6:54 of the 3rd. That cleared the line by 1.5. - Worth watching: 31 minutes with heavy power-play time is the profile that keeps assist props alive every night. As long as that workload holds, this angle stays on our list.

Joel Eriksson Ek 1+ points (-160 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Eriksson Ek had a point in 9 of his last 10 and 12 of 17 this season, and Minnesota had scored 3+ in 7 of its last 8 at home. - What happened: 0 goals, 1 assist, 2 shots on goal in 18:52 (4:57 on the power play). His point came late, on Bogosian's slap shot at 13:58 of the 3rd for the fourth Minnesota goal. Cleared by 0.5. - Worth watching: This one leaned on the team scoring, and the Wild got to four. Points props like this ride on the team total, so the matchup matters as much as the player.

Matt Boldy 3+ shots on goal (-370 at FanDuel): CASHED - Our read: Boldy had cleared 3+ shots on goal in 15 of 17 games this season, averaging 4.2. - What happened: 7 shots on goal in 19:26 (5:19 on the power play), 4.5 over the line. He also picked up an assist on Kaprizov's opener. - Worth watching: Seven shots is volume, not luck. The price at -370 is the catch: at that number it works best as a parlay leg rather than a single.

How the game played out

The special teams split decided it. Minnesota scored on 2 of its 5 power plays, and San Jose got nothing from its 3. After Celebrini's tip-in tied it 1-1, the Wild answered on the man advantage before the second intermission and controlled the third.

Trends to watch

• Hughes logged 31:00 and 6:39 on the power play, and he was in on three of Minnesota's four goals. That usage feeds his assist and points lines.
• Boldy put 7 of Minnesota's 29 shots on goal. Keep his shot lines in view when the price is reasonable.
• Wallstedt faced 24 shots and allowed 1. San Jose did not test him often, a note for future saves lines against this Sharks group.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. More NHL on the NHL hub and in our NHL recaps. New to props? Start with our player prop guide.