Kirill Kaprizov, Wild turn the page on their taxing, season-opening rut

Kirill Kaprizov was on the ice for a shift of 59 seconds Thursday night when he scored the overtime game-winner against Vancouver — and that was after the Wild winger started the overtime with a minute-long shift.

But he didn't describe those efforts as the most taxed he's felt through Week 1 of the season.

"Every single shift feels like it's tiring when you make a lot of mistakes [and] you don't do well in your own zone," Kaprizov said through an interpreter after the 4-3 victory, the Wild's first of the season. "I would say every single shift is difficult having the first three games gone the way they did."

Thanks in part to Kaprizov's marathon finish, the Wild finally turned the page on their season-opening rut. They opened the season with four consecutive home games but lost the first three before Thursday's win.

That Kaprizov, off an assist from linemate Mats Zuccarello, uncorked the celebration shouldn't be surprising. Lost in the shuffle of the teamwide defensive lapses that led to the Wild's 0-3 start is the Kaprizov-Zuccarello combination continuing to churn out offense, a consistency that's become amplified as the losing streak has ended.

"First of all, we gotta keep the puck out of our net," Zuccarello said. "I feel like every time we're out there you're getting scored against. That just happens sometimes, and hopefully that's gonna turn around. But always nice to contribute to get a win."

After each recorded a game-high three points vs. Vancouver, Kaprizov and Zuccarello are tied for the team lead in goals (four) and points (eight) and both finished the night tied for fourth in NHL scoring.

They're on four-game point streaks, with this the longest run to start an NHL season in Zuccarello's nearly 700-game career.

Dating to last season, Kaprizov has at least a point in 11 consecutive regular-season games. The winger's five career overtime goals are second all time for the Wild; only Matt Dumba has more with six. Among NHL players, only Alex DeBrincat (seven) and Connor McDavid (six) have scored more in overtime than Kaprizov since he entered the league in 2021.

Zuccarello's goals on Thursday counted as his fifth multigoal game with the Wild. He also had a three-point performance in Game No. 2 against the Kings.

"I don't look at it that way," Zuccarello said when asked about his individual play. "I'm too old to look at it that way. When the team loses, no one plays good enough. It's as easy as that.

"We've been out there for too many goals against, and we got to [sharpen] up that. That's for sure. But [Thursday], it was a good, full-team effort. Two points then you can be happy."

There is still plenty to clean up in the Wild's game as they begin a five-game road trip with a Saturday matinee at Boston.

At least two-thirds of the Kaprizov-Zuccarello-Ryan Hartman line was over the boards for all three of the Canucks' goals, and coach Dean Evason cited a lack of composure for the whole group — even the coaching staff, with Evason mentioning how he hesitated to add an extra attacker when goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury came to the bench for a substitution; the previous game, the Wild were whistled for too many men during a delayed penalty to negate their power play.

The relief that comes with the team's first win might not be a cure, but it could be enough of a balm to steady the Wild.

"Are we going to have some signs of it on Saturday afternoon in Boston? Probably," Evason said. "But I think we'll be able to push through it a little better now with a little more ease because of the win."