Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Playing Kirill Kaprizov's Game

02/26/2021 at 9:23am EST

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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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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