Which players have the most goals in the NHL?
Check the Wild's upcoming schedule, which is doubling as a leaderboard.
In five of their next seven games, the Wild will encounter the top three goal scorers, beginning Thursday at Xcel Energy Center with the first of three showdowns in that stretch vs. Connor McDavid and the Oilers.
Soon after are contests against the Stars' Jason Robertson and the Canucks' Bo Horvat, a trio whose combined production is about as much as that of a few teams.
But the star power won't be one-sided in any of these matchups.
While the Wild will be tested by some of the game's elite, their opponents have the same challenge when Kirill Kaprizov is on the ice.
"Teams gotta be saying, 'This guy scores all the time. Stand next to him,'" Wild forward Jordan Greenway said. "It's not that easy."
Kaprizov is on a career-best nine-game point streak after surpassing his previous record of eight games, which he accomplished twice last season.
He had a goal and two assists last Sunday in a win vs. Arizona to keep the run going and boasts five goals, nine assists and 14 points overall since this tear started Nov. 9 at Anaheim. The left winger is also one helper away from extending his assist streak to nine games and passing Jim Dowd (2001-02) for a new Wild record.
As for the longest point streak in team history, that's 12 games.
Kevin Fiala tied Mikael Granlund (2016-17) for the record last season. Fiala and Granlund also have 10-game streaks, along with Matt Boldy and Mats Zuccarello (2021-22), Erik Haula (2015-16) and Andrew Brunette (2001-02).
"Is Kirill playing better?" coach Dean Evason said. "Kirill always plays good."
Aside from pacing the Wild in goals (13), assists (14) and points (27), Kaprizov is among the league leaders, like last season when he shattered franchise records (47-61-108) to become the Wild's first top-five scorer.
Ahead of Wednesday's slate of games, only six players in the NHL had more goals than Kaprizov and he sat tied for 13th in scoring. He's one of the most proficient on the power play (seven goals) and is must-see in overtime; his five career OT goals since he debuted in 2021 are already one shy of the Wild record.
"I focus on my game and just doing the best I can," Kaprizov said in Russian through an interpreter.
Around mid-November last year was also when Kaprizov elevated his play, his first season since winning the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie and signing a lucrative five-year, $45 million contract.
From Nov. 18 on, he ranked second in goals (44) and third in points (97) in the NHL. That surge began after he didn't record his first goal until Game 9. But there hasn't been a lull like that this season.
The most Kaprizov, 25, has gone in between goals is five games, a dry spell that happened during this point streak, and two games (twice) is his longest drought without a point.
"It's not a one-man show where he's going end to end," Marcus Foligno said. "You've seen Kirill walk into the zone and if he doesn't have something, he curls back. He doesn't rush things, and that's frustrating.
"… You've just got to contain him and do your best. The best players are going to get their looks no matter what. It's all about limiting chances."
Foligno would know.
He's frequently been matched up against the other team's No. 1 line and will likely receive the same assignment against Edmonton, Dallas and Vancouver with the Wild reuniting their shutdown specialists in Foligno, Greenway and Joel Eriksson Ek to bring back the "GREEF" line.
"We love going up against [Kaprizov in practice]," Foligno said. "It gives us kind of a taste of what we're expecting against other top teams."
Every club has a best player, but only some have the best.
What happens when these superstars face off against each other?
Stay tuned.
"I definitely like playing against them," Kaprizov said. "It's even better to win against them."
