Kaprizov hoping to help Wild break through in playoffs

CHICAGO -- Kirill Kaprizov doesn't think he's at his best yet, even if the Minnesota Wild forward is among the top 10 scorers in the NHL.

"This year, many games when I'm not playing my best hockey," Kaprizov said prior getting an assist in the Wild's 4-3 overtime win at the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. "It's small things, you know. I have some turnovers, can't score or not playing right away how I want to.

"I just try to be heads-up and keep going, especially now later in the season and the (Stanley Cup) playoffs and I'll just try to find my best game right now. I still have a couple of games before the playoffs."

Ah yes, the playoffs, where the Wild (39-18-12) are headed for the sixth time in the past seven seasons. They've got a comfortable hold on third place in the Central Division and are four points behind the second-place Dallas Stars heading into their game against the Blackhawks at Grand Casino Arena on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+). 

It's best not to doubt Kaprizov will find the gear he's looking for as the season winds down. He leads the Wild with 80 points (38 goals, 42 assists) in 69 games, tied for ninth in the NHL. He has 223 goals, the most in Wild history after breaking the record of 219 held by Marian Gaborik, earlier this month.

Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard, who faced the Wild on Tuesday and will again on Thursday, appreciates a lot about Kaprizov's game.

"His puck protection and hockey IQ. He's a very unique skater and for a defenseman, the way he skates, it's so hard to get the puck off him," Bedard said Tuesday. "He's so good at finding areas and finding his teammates. He's one of my favorite players to watch in the League and one of the best we have, so fun to play him."

Kaprizov also leads the Wild with 16 power-play goals and his five game-winning goals are tied for the team lead with forward Mats Zuccarello, who scored in overtime on Tuesday.

"The thing that sticks out to me with Kirill is just how he's such a naturally talented player but he's an extremely competitive guy," Wild coach John Hynes said. "For as good an offensive player he is, he cares about playing on both sides of the puck.

"And he's a great teammate. He's a guy who cares about the team, cares about winning and it's nice when you have a player with that talent, an elite player in the league who has a team-first mentality and is willing to play the game that's required to play to win, and that's on both sides of the puck."

Kaprizov is looking to bring those elements to the playoffs, where success has consistently eluded Minnesota. The Wild haven't gotten past the first round since 2014-15, losing nine series in a row, and the last time they advanced past the second round was 2002-03.

So, what's it going to take for the Wild to get past their first-round issues?

"The playoffs are a different time: When you're winning first or second game, the other team still has a chance to come back in the series," Kaprizov said. "It's like small, small things matter in the playoffs from everybody, not just half the team or everyone. Just all together and I hope no injuries. I think it's small things and to be ready every day, every game."

It's definitely small things, but the Wild made big additions to help their postseason chances. The biggest was acquiring defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks for defenseman Zeev Buium, forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft on Dec. 12, 2025. The Wild also acquired forward Michael McCarron from the Nashville Predators on March 3 and forward Nick Foligno from the Blackhawks on March 6.

"I feel we have a stronger team, bigger, more physical," Kaprizov said. "We didn't play the right way the last two or three games, but when we show our best hockey, it's tough to play against us. The new guys with more energy and more physicalness and just more depth."

The Wild are doing everything they can to go far in the playoffs. So is Kaprizov.

"This is my sixth (season)," he said. "One time we didn't make the playoffs and four other times we played in the first round and then we were out. Everyone is usually talking about this. You can feel it when people in Minnesota talk about this, too, and everyone wants to go to the second round, the third round and fourth round, you know? It's just step by step. Just keep winning first and then see. Just be ready for it."