Kirill Kaprizov 'pissed' about Wild's play of late, thinks everyone needs to step up
The Minnesota Wild have been struggling mightily of late, going just 3-6-1 over their past ten games, causing the team to slide from 2nd in the Central down to 4th. Currently, they are holding onto a playoff spot by retaining the first wild card slot, but there are many teams in the hunt including the Dallas Stars, Winnipeg Jets, Vancouver Canucks, and Anaheim Ducks breathing down their neck.
A lot of the team's success has been contributed by their Russian superstar Kirill Kaprizov. The 24-year-old is well ahead of pace on shattering Marian Gaborik's single season team scoring record of 83 points, which was set in 2007-08. Kaprizov has already tallied 73 points in just 57 games, good enough for sixth in the NHL. Although, how many points he has is less of a concern than the team's success.
Leading the Wild with 30 goals, Kaprizov has never been one to constantly check the standings, but he was recently informed just how close the team is to being on the outside looking into the playoffs.
Kaprizov is anything but the Wild's biggest worry, but his line with Mats Zuccarello and Ryan Hartman has been struggling a bit of late, including giving up some badly-timed goals against.
This quote says a lot about Kirill Kaprizov, and explains why coaches and players love him. Wild head coach Dean Evason met with Kaprizov Tuesday morning, and the All-Star is "pissed that we're not having success as a team".
The Wild already made one move in trading Nico Sturm to the Colorado Avalanche for former University of North Dakota standout Tyson Jost, and it seems likely that more moves are on the way.
'Pissed' about the #mnwild prolonged skid, Kirill Kaprizov says 'it's up to every guy' to find a way to turn the season aroundhttps://t.co/JsrXx1IgzV— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) March 16, 2022
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Taylor Hall | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Brayden Point | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Brock Nelson | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Bryan Rust | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Pavel Zacha | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Quinn Hughes | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Carter Verhaeghe | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Erik Karlsson | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Elias Lindholm | - | 3 | 3 | |
| David Pastrnak | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Tim Stutzle | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Adam Gaudette | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Dylan Holloway | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Brad Marchand | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Aleksander Barkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sam Bennett | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sean Couturier | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex DeBrincat | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Drury | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Cutter Gauthier | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 23 | 18 | 5 | - | 36 | |
Hurricanes | 22 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 33 | |
Wild | 22 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 32 | |
Devils | 25 | 15 | 8 | 2 | 32 | |
Capitals | 22 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 31 | |
Golden Knights | 23 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 31 | |
Maple Leafs | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Flames | 23 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 28 | |
Panthers | 23 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 27 | |
Kings | 23 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 27 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||