No one has faced Kirill Kaprizov more this season than the Kings, and Los Angeles is definitely aware of the Wild's rookie standout — even if the team hasn't been able to slow him down.
"If he isn't the top rookie in the league, he's going to be one of the top two or three," Kings coach Todd McLellan said after his team's six-game win streak was broken Friday night by a 3-1 Wild win that included another memorable goal from Kaprizov. "This is Game 6 or 7 against him already, and every night he's gotten better. I think his line is very good right now; they complement each other.
"For me, I just see him along the boards and he's not the biggest man, but he always seems to roll off and come out. He's a very slippery player."
Kaprizov was certainly elusive on his goal in the first period, picking up the rebound from his own shot and getting off a successful wrap-around as he was sprawled behind the Kings net.
Top-tier defenseman Drew Doughty was the one chasing Kaprizov, but the pressure didn't appear to faze Kaprizov.
Neither, it seems, is the attention he's receiving in between plays, with Kaprizov standing up for himself after Los Angeles' Austin Wagner gave him a few bumps before a faceoff.
"He's played against men for a while now," coach Dean Evason said, referring to Kaprizov's time in the Kontinental Hockey League before he started his NHL career. "It wasn't a shock to him to get pushed on, leaned on by men, and heavier men."
Smooth return
Despite going 23 days in between games, goalie Cam Talbot didn't look rusty at all in his return to action Friday — coming close to recording his first shutout of the season during a 27-save effort.
