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TORONTO, CANADA – JANUARY 19: Marcus Foligno #17 of the Minnesota Wild celebrates his second period goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on January 19, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Wild decided it was time to play like the team that they should be on Monday night.
Despite being out five major contributors, the Wild came out victorious in Toronto by a score of 6-3. Minnesota dominated the entire exhibition, have a 2-goal lead for a majority of the contest.
Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes were their vintage-selves, both being incredible noticeable all over the ice. Both superstars notched 2 points, both of them each having 2 assists. Ryan Hartman also notched 2 points (1G, 1A).
Veteran Vladimir Tarasenko registered 3 points (2G, 1A), and had an easy shot at the empty net at the end to secure a hat-trick. The selfless teammate decided against it, instead setting up a fellow winger for a career first.
Minnesota Wild’s Marcus Foligno Secures First Career Hat-Trick on Monday Night
GettyTORONTO, CANADA – JANUARY 19: Marcus Foligno #17 of the Minnesota Wild scores against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third period at Scotiabank Arena on January 19, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images)
It took 15 seasons and 915 games played, but Marcus Foligno has officially secured his first career NHL hat-trick. The special moment came with his father, former NHL’er Mike Foligno, in attendance.
Tarasenko had an open net as he crossed mid-ice with light pressure, but decided against his own “hatty”. He instead floated the puck across the ice to a streaking Foligno, who took the puck all the way to the empty net. This goal secured the Minnesota Wild victory.
Michael Russo added a funny tid-bit to the career-first for the beloved “Moose”.
“I went up into the family section to grab former Leaf Mike Foligno after son Marcus’ hat trick. Mike has now seen Marcus score 4 goals in the past 2 road games: “He wants to take me on the road all the time now, but I can’t. He’s on his own now.”
Mike Foligno, father of Nick Foligno (Chicago Blackhawks) and Marcus, appeared for Toronto in 168 games over the years of 1990-1994.
Nico Sturm, Mats Zuccarello, and Danila Yurov all also registered a point on Monday night at Scotiabank Area.
Minnesota Yet Again Facing Major Injury Bug
GettyST PAUL, MINNESOTA – JANUARY 10: Matt Boldy #12 of the Minnesota Wild celebrates his power-play goal against the New York Islanders with teammates in the first period at Grand Casino Arena on January 10, 2026 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
The vibes were at a deep low after the Minnesota Wild dropped two games in a row on home ice by a combined score of 11-4 by the Devils and Jets last week. After the Jets game, the Wild had only won 2 of the previous 8 contests, including 1 of the previous 6.
The feel around the “State of Hockey” worsened with surprise injury announcements on two major contributors, when they were already down three. These new additions to the injury report were Matt Boldy and Marcus Johansson.
Michael Russo had the shocking report on Matt Boldy on Friday afternoon.
“Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek have been placed on injured reserve. Hunter Haight and Nicolas Aube-Kubel have been recalled. Means Boldy has to miss at least the next 4 games. Ek, Bogosian, Brodin and Boldy all on IR.”
The feel around the “State of Hockey” worsened with surprise injury announcements on two major contributors, when they were already down three. These new additions to the injury report were Matt Boldy and Marcus Johansson.
Michael Russo had the shocking report on Matt Boldy on Friday afternoon.
“Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek have been placed on injured reserve. Hunter Haight and Nicolas Aube-Kubel have been recalled. Means Boldy has to miss at least the next 4 games. Ek, Bogosian, Brodin and Boldy all on IR.”
Wild Travel to Montreal for Game 2 of Back-To-Back
Knocking on wood, only three players have played in all 50 games for the Wild this season. They are Kirill Kaprizov, Yakov Trenin, and Brock Faber.
There is no time for rest now, as the Wild are right back in action on the road in Montreal against the Canadiens on Tuesday night.
Brevan Bane Brevan Bane is a sports scribe covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals. Brevan began his writing career by making a platform on Twitter and leveraging his presence into writing and content creation opportunities for outlets like PurplePTSD, Vikings Territory, The Noise, Hockey Wilderness, and the VikesNow YouTube channel. You can follow him on X @brevmanbane. More about Brevan Bane
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