Kaprizov talks the talk, then backs it up against Bruins

ST. PAUL -- The true sign that a superstar has arrived on the scene of any professional sports franchise is when they hold themselves accountable publicly, then back it up on the field of play.
Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov is in the midst of perhaps the most dynamic season in the history of the franchise, but met with the media on Tuesday to insist he can be better.

On Wednesday against the Boston Bruins, Kaprizov went out and walked the walk, scoring two goals in a 4-2 Wild victory.
Kaprizov has been producing on the scoresheet like no other Wild player ever has. He's on pace to score 45 goals and more than 100 points this season, benchmarks nobody in franchise history has ever approached.
But that hasn't always translated to victories, at least not over the past month and a half or so, as the Wild would take one step forward and two steps back in the win-loss column.
Kaprizov, one of the most unselfish players of his stature that you'll ever find, cares more about the wins than he does the points, so at times he's been visibly frustrated over the past several weeks as the Wild has slid down the standings despite having a number of games in hand on the teams around them.

"Things haven't been great and I think it's up to every guy on the team to do some soul searching to kind of find out what within their game they can alter, change, enhance to continue to get better every single game," Kaprizov said through a translator. "That's something we're all working toward as a team, but it takes the onus on every single player to find something that they can continue to improve to get better."
For Kaprizov, sometimes it can mean shooting more.
Despite his torrid goal-scoring pace, at times over the past several weeks, he's been too eager to defer to linemates, specifically on the power play.
Wild coach Dean Evason has mentioned that the group has occasionally gotten too cute with what it's trying to do, imploring them to simplify and attack the net, both literally and with shots towards the cage.

Kaprizov took that advice literally early on Wednesday, burying a pair of goals in the first 20 minutes of action as the Wild built an early 2-0 lead on the red-hot Bruins.
But then, some old habits crept in during the second period.
"We've still got some things to clean up obviously with our power play still," Evason said. "The first one was great. Kirill shoots, scores. And then we try to get cute again. Just get it there again, get it there. And we didn't but that's something we can reinforce."
Kaprizov is at his best when he's playing with emotion, another thing he says hasn't always been as consistent as he'd like.
Some of that, of course, comes with the fact the Wild hasn't been on the winning end of things as much lately. The trademark Kaprizov smile hasn't appeared nearly as much as it did early in the year.

"I take it upon myself to continue to be better, to be more emotional and fired-up on the ice and to continue to spark our team to winning and scrutinizing what I'm doing," Kaprizov said. "I'm not showing my best performance right now, but I'm doing everything I can, and I continue to work toward improvement."
Wild forward Marcus Foligno, an unquestioned leader both in status and in the way he plays, says Kaprizov has the ability to be a driver of the Wild, not only with his on-ice production, but with the way he carries himself.
And in just his second year in the NHL, he's been doing that.
"He brings energy every day. You can just tell when he's upbeat and feeling good about his game, we're usually feeling good about our game, too. He means a lot to our team," Foligno said. "There's some games where he's had multiple points and we lose and he's not gloating at all. That's who he is. That's why he's such a good player on and off the ice."
If Wednesday is any indication, that grin will be back and wider than ever.
"What people enjoy seeing is that smile. Lately, we haven't seen smiles," Evason said. "We'll get back to it here and he will as well."
With seven games remaining on its record nine-game homestand, the Wild hopes the wins will continue to follow too.