By Tony Abbott -
As they say, shooters shoot. And right now, few in the NHL know the meaning of that phrase like Matt Boldy. The fifth-year winger may have started the season with back-to-back three-point games, but his most dominant game so far was probably his effort in Dallas on October 14. He scored just one goal but managed a whopping 10 shots on goal and 17 shot attempts overall.
As a State of Hockey, we might have slept on just how Wild (not weird) that game was. This 17-attempt effort didn't just become Boldy's career-high. He (probably) tied a franchise record for shot attempts in a game, set by none other than Kirill Kaprizov (January 8, 2023).
That's tougher to confirm than it should be. The most reliable data only goes back to 2007, meaning we don't have access to 408 games of Marián Gáborík, who was as much of a volume shooter as the Wild have ever put on ice. Still, we can make a good guess. As far as we know, Gáborík's high-water mark for shot attempts in a game was 16 in his five-goal game.
Minnesota's had some solid volume shooters come their way, despite their historical lack of offense, but none but Kaprizov could touch that "17" number. Zach Parise fired 15 attempts in his best outing for the Wild (October 23, 2016). Matt Dumba once heaved 15 pucks at the net from the blueline (February 11, 2016). Jason Zucker shot a ton, but the most he ever got in a game was 12 attempts (October 11, 2018).
That shoot-first mentality is exactly what Boldy is riding towards the top of the NHL's offensive leaderboard. As of Friday, only Nathan MacKinnon, David Pastrnak, and Jack Eichel have had more shots than Boldy's 33. MacKinnon's 56 unblocked shot attempts are first in the NHL, but Boldy is only one unblocked attempt behind him for the league lead. In terms of overall attempts, Pastrnak (78) is the only player who stands above Boldy (73), and he's played in one extra game.
Volume shooting is nothing new to Boldy's game. Every year since his rookie season, he's averaged over 3.0 shots per goal per game, reaching 3.30 last season, when he finished seventh in the NHL in shots on goal (272). That's fantastic, but we're seeing Boldy taking a big step from even that. The difference from being a top-10 shooter and a top-five, potentially top-two shooter might not seem too significant, but the gulf is massive.
For example, last season, MacKinnon finished second in the NHL with 318 shots. Boldy may have been just five places below him, but the difference between them was 46 shots. That's over half a shot per game. Even at Boldy's 9.93 shooting percentage last season -- the lowest of his career -- that's still the difference between him scoring 27 goals (his total last season) and 32 (MacKinnon's). And who knows how many of those extra shots could have gone for rebounds, earning some easy assists to Boldy's totals?
It should not be this easy to take a big step in shot attempts, either. With Kaprizov out for 41 games, Boldy could basically fire at will for half the year. He was undisputably their best offensive creator and shooter. The power play ran through him. Now there's a $17 million man next to him, who needs his touches, his shots, and there's only one puck on the ice.
Or, so you'd think. But Boldy continues to be Minnesota's leading shooter, and he's finding a way to rack up elite volume without cutting into Kaprizov's opportunities. Kaprizov has 28 shots himself (Tied-13th in the NHL) on 53 attempts (ninth). What other team can lay claim to that type of duo right now?
Most Shots On Goal, Top-Two Teammates, 2025-26 season
- MATT BOLDY, KIRILL KAPRIZOV, MIN: 61
- Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar/Victor Olofsson COL: 61
- Mika Zibanejad, Alexis Lafrenière, NYR: 57
- Brad Marchand, Mackie Samoskevich, FLA: 57
- Dylan Guenther, Nick Schmaltz, UTA: 56
- Jack Eichel, Pavel Dorofeyev, VGK: 55
- David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, BOS: 54
- Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin, DET: 54
- Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, DAL: 53
- Seth Jarvis, Jackson Blake, CAR: 53
- Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, ANA: 53
There's just one puck to go around, but you'd never know by watching Boldy play with Kaprizov. The two have spent over 90 percent of their 5-on-5 and power play minutes together, but have been elite at creating their own shot in the NHL.
Perhaps more encouraging so far is how we haven't seen any letdown from Boldy through eight games. He's been remarkably consistent in shooting the puck all season, as you can see by his game-by-game breakdown:
Matt Boldy, Shot Attempts By Game, 2025-26 season:
Game 1 (@STL): 5
Game 2 (vs CBJ): 12
Game 3 (vs LAK): 6
Game 4 (@DAL): 17
Game 5 (@WSH): 9
Game 6 (@PHI): 7
Game 7 (@NYR): 6
Game 8 (@NJD): 11
Boldy is averaging 9.1 attempts per game, while not having a single night under five. For context, he had 22 games last season in which he attempted 4 or fewer shots. That's fairly consistent, but eliminating lulls is how you get from "elite" to "the best of the best." Looking to MacKinnon as our North Star, and he had just 15 games (out of 79) where he attempted four or fewer shots. If Boldy can keep this mentality every night, it only portends great things.
We're still on Matt Boldy Breakout Watch here in Minnesota, and his hot start to the season (5 goals, 11 points in 8 games) is trending in the right direction. But as great as the scoring is, we've seen it taper off after hot starts and streaks in seasons past. If Boldy is making a move to shooting as much as MacKinnons and Pastrnaks of the world, then that's a sign that the young Wild winger can put together 82 games of superstar-level brilliance.
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