Anthony Edwards and Kirill Kaprizov hold the fate of Wolves, Wild in primetime Game 5s

To honor the culinary atrocities of The Great Minnesota Get-Together on Sunday night, Kirill Kaprizov had the series on a stick.

Multiple times he broke in alone against Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger, the standout from Lakeville. Each time, Oettinger denied him. Kaprizov took four shots in the Wild's 3-2 Game 4 loss and did not produce a goal nor an assist.

While Wild fans bleat about poor referee calls, what they should be lamenting is that the best player in franchise history had a chance to win a pivotal game and didn't.

They say the NBA is a "make or miss league." The NHL was on Sunday, and Kaprizov missed.

A few hours later and a few miles away, Anthony Edwards — Kaprizov's bookend in terms of precociousness and Twin Cities geography — lifted the Timberwolves to a series-extending victory in overtime over the Denver Nuggets.

Edwards is already the second-best player in franchise history, behind Kevin Garnett, and on Sunday he awakened the echoes of the Wolves' glory year. In front of Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Craig Kilborn, Crunch and Smack The Floor With A Program Guy, Edwards overcame his own mistakes and a superior opponent to produce 34 points, six rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals in Game 4.

He took bad shots, but even those served to demonstrate his willingness to accept the responsibilities of stardom.

Edwards is still, strangely, only 21. That was his second career playoff game with 30 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals and blocks. He is the first player in franchise history to reach those levels in a playoff game and the youngest to do so in league history.

He has produced 30 points or more in five playoff games, passing Kobe Bryant for the second-most such games in league playoff history for a player younger than 22. Only LeBron James, with eight, has more.

Edwards has made 38 three-pointers in his first 10 career playoff games. Only Steph Curry, with 39, made more.

In the past three games, Edwards has scored 111 points — the second-highest total in a three-game span in this year's playoffs — entering Monday. He became the first Wolves player in history to reach 100 points in three consecutive playoff games; Kevin Garnett scored 96 in a three-game span in 2003.

Kaprizov, 25, faces a larger challenge than Edwards in leading his team, because of the nature of his sport. He is subject to cheap shots and heavy hits, and he will have only a few opportunities a game to score.

Kaprizov is playing well all over the ice, but he has not produced a point since the first period of Game 1.

This isn't a chronic problem. Kaprizov had another spectacular regular season, when he was healthy, and he tallied seven goals and an assist in six games in last year's playoff loss against St. Louis — which was proof that he alone can't win a series.

He could have won Game 4 on Sunday night, and if he had, the Wild would have gained a 3-1 series lead and the first two-game postseason advantage in franchise history.

Kaprizov doesn't say much, at least not in English, but his style of play tells you everything. He is a brilliant scorer who will go into the rounded corners and to the front of the net, who will win loose pucks and find his teammates with no-look passes.

Edwards is similarly well-rounded. Because of the nature of the NBA, Edwards must beware of the ease with which he can get his shot. Just because he can always fire a three-pointer or drive into the lane doesn't mean he should.

Kaprizov faces constant conflict in the literal, physical sense.

Edwards' primary conflict is within.

He admitted as much late Sunday night, criticizing himself for taking bad shots and contributing to the Wolves' blown fourth-quarter lead.

What Edwards has established, or reminded, in this series is that he is the franchise. The Wolves are lucky he seems comfortable with that.