from Jim Souhan of the StarTribune,
The Wild has scored 20 goals in their past four games. Rookie Kirill Kaprizov has five assists and one goal in that stretch.
At 23, while adapting to a new country and dealing with pandemic restrictions, Kaprizov leads an NHL team in scoring by four points. Entering Thursday, he led all NHL rookie scorers by three points.
He's not just good. He may be transformative. He may be changing the way the Wild looks and plays.
This would be a bad time to accuse anyone of being "contagious," but Kaprizov's passing seems to be catching. He has displayed the ability to make the subtle touch pass, to find an open teammate on the other side of the rink, to pass to teammates who may not even realize they're open.
Now instead of simply making the simple play, his teammates look like they're playing team pinball. Unselfishness begets unselfishness. Puck movement begets puck movement.
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