hockey

Kaprizov Delivers In Game 1, Continuing To Rewrite Wild Playoff History

Yahoo Sports

Kaprizov's historic playoff performance fuels the Wild, etching his name atop franchise scoring records and rewriting what's possible.

When the Minnesota Wild (1-0) needed someone to take over, Kirill Kaprizov did what he’s been doing his entire playoff career. He produced. And he produced at a level this franchise hasn’t seen before.

Kaprizov, 28, finished with a goal and two assists, marking his third career three-point game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the most in Wild history. His goal didn’t just add to the stat sheet either. It stood as the game-winner over the Dallas Stars (0-1).

This happened to be Kaprizov's third game-winning goal of his playoff career, tying Nino Niederreiter for the most in franchise history. That goal also gave him 16 for his playoff career, tying Zach Parise for the most in Wild history. It’s a mark that’s been around for a while and Kaprizov has reached it in just 26 games.

That’s where things start to look different. Kaprizov now has 16 goals in 26 career playoff games. Only five players in NHL history have scored at a higher rate in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (minimum 10 games).