In a previous life, the Wild would have left Friday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes complaining of missed opportunities en route to a frustrating loss.
How many times in the past decade has the wilderness apparently dominated a game with nothing to show but a list of excuses that might come up last summer?
That is no longer a problem. Not with superstar rookie Kirill Kaprizov on the squad. And yes, it’s okay to use the word superstar when describing him.
This is exactly what Kaprizov has shown in his NHL career than just 25 games. The most recent example of this was Friday’s game when Dolla Bill Kirill scored a hat trick to turn a goalless draw into a 4-0 win.
As much as coach Dean Evason has tried to lower expectations, it is difficult for him to do so.
« He doesn’t surprise us, » said Evason. « It seems like there is something every night. He’s a very special hockey player. We’ll count on it. »
It’s like Kaprizov left the locker room before the last 20 minutes and simply decided that the Wild would win the game. Then he made sure they did.
It was shades of Marian Gaborik in the early days of the franchise. He was the only other player the Wild had ever had who could absolutely take over a game.
« These pure goalscorers find a way to do this when goals need to be scored, » said veteran defender Ryan Suter. « The high-end players in this league are the guys who can take over the game in situations like this. »
Perhaps the most impressive thing was the different ways Kaprizov found the back of the net. He showed his willingness to work on his first goal, his ability to skate generations on his second goal, and his incredible shot on his third goal.
The first goal was the result of Kaprizov working his butt off to get the puck in the defensive zone. He decoded a couple of defenders, then fired a seemingly harmless shot that somehow found the back of the net.
« He’s a special player and this line is clicking right now, » said captain Jared Spurgeon. « You have him and (Mats Zuccarello), they think on the same wavelength and (Victor Rask) too. They are very creative players and work well together. You see in and out tonight. »
The second goal was Kaprizov on point. He skipped the boards like he’d been shot from a cannon, collected the puck in the offensive zone, circled the net at speed, and then fired a blistered wrist that was shot through traffic.
« Just a special game by a special player, » said goalkeeper Cam Talbot, who knows a few things about Superstars who played with Connor McDavid while at the Edmonton Oilers. « That’s the best way I can say. Whenever he’s out there, he seems to be able to make a difference. »
The third goal was a fitting way for Kaprizov to end his night. In the last minute of the game, he found the ice open, accepted a pass from Zuccarello right in his wheelhouse and tore a blow on a bent knee home.
To say Kaprizov is running away with the Calder Trophy could be the understatement of the century. He’s the best rookie by far, and honestly, if he keeps playing like this, he might even get some Hart Trophy votes.
« We didn’t know exactly what we were getting into it, » said Evason. « You look at the tape and you think we’re going to get a really exciting player. They don’t know the intangibles. They don’t know the attitude. They don’t know the personality. They don’t know the team aspect of him. Everything went really well. »
Indeed.
On the subject of matching items
Cam Talbot stops Wild with the help of Kirill Kaprizov for a 4-0 victory
Ryan Hartman is stepping down as the man in the middle for Wild
Governor Walz paves the way for thousands to attend sporting events
A year later, Wild thinks about the day everything was shut down
The wild power game breaks through in the 4-3 win against Golden Knights
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