Kirill Kaprizov ends brief goal-scoring drought by ‘sticking with the percentages’

When it comes to goals — his own or someone else’s — Quinn Hughes focuses on the math.

“It’s all about just the percentages,” the Wild defenseman explained. “If you get three or four Grade As a game, sometimes those three are gonna go in, and sometimes they’re not. Just sticking with the percentages, and they should fall.”

Finally, the numbers added up in Kirill Kaprizov’s favor.

After going five games without a goal and capitalizing just three times over his previous 16, the Wild winger scored twice to bookend a 4-3 overtime win over Detroit on Thursday, Jan. 22, at Grand Casino Arena in a quintessential Kaprizov performance.

He looked relieved after he tallied the Wild’s first goal, Kaprizov dropping his head and whacking his stick on the ice when his shot on the power play bounced into the net. But Kaprizov was much more celebratory after No. 2, jumping into the boards after he flung in a 35-foot wrister only 45 seconds into the extra session.

That was his game-high eighth shot, and his 10 attempts were tops, too. Only Hughes played more than Kaprizov’s 25 minutes, 38 seconds, and Kaprizov’s assist on the second of Mats Zuccarello’s third-period goals that extended the action to overtime led to a season-best three-point game for the eighth time.

“He’s too good where things are going to fall for him,” Hughes said. “He’s been on the scoresheet a lot. But I know it’s on his mind to score.”

Kaprizov mentioned he tried not thinking about the drought, but he did … even though he was still helping the Wild produce offense while being short five regulars because of injury. He assisted on seven goals during the Wild’s two-win, one-loss road trip before they returned to St. Paul to kick off their homestand vs. the Red Wings.

“Pretty sure he’s been contributing more than one way,” Ryan Hartman pointed out.

But Kaprizov isn’t reining in the pressure he puts on himself despite having another superstar in Hughes on the team.

“It’s irrelevant,” coach John Hynes said. “He’s got high expectations of himself.”

The face of the franchise, Kaprizov’s significance to the Wild has never been greater since signing the record-breaking, eight-year, $136 million contract that’ll start next season.

Hughes’ arrival since last month’s blockbuster trade from Vancouver keeps getting more unprecedented; already, he’s tied Kaprizov and Zuccarello for the most three-assist games in a Wild season with four, and he’s just the second player in NHL history with four three-assist games in his first 20 games with a team.

Actually, only Paul Coffey has more assists by a defenseman at the 20-game mark with a team; Coffey had 24 with Pittsburgh, and Hughes is up to 22. He and Montreal’s Lane Hutson are tied for the most assists by a defenseman this season at 43.

“He’s a great skater and helps so much everywhere,” Kaprizov said, “especially when we have [the] puck and he [moves] around.”

Although he came into the season undecided about his future, Zuccarello is playing like he’s in his prime since all but two of the 38-year-old’s eight goals have been tying goals or game-winners in overtime. The veteran winger is also close to a point-per-game pace despite missing the first month hurt.

Brock Faber has set a career high in goals with 11, while Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Johansson have formed a dominating line with Matt Boldy.

That puts him where he belongs, alongside the best players, but the distinction isn’t only indicative of Kaprizov’s goals and assists: He has the attitude to match.