Kirill Kaprizov is on the brink of breaking Marian Gaborik's Wild scoring records

The Wild didn't go from juggling wins and losses to the best team currently in the NHL because of one catalyst.

There's been a crackdown on defensive mistakes, and the goaltending has been tiptop led by Cam Talbot, who was named the NHL's first star of the week on Monday for his surge.

Trading for a three-time Stanley Cup champion and multiple role players who better equip the team for the playoffs also probably emboldened the Wild, a boost that's still in the honeymoon phase.

But there's other handiwork behind the six-game run that has the team sitting second in the Central Division with some cushion ahead of playing host to Philadelphia at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday, and that's the clutch contributions from Kirill Kaprizov as he continues to skate as one of the elite talents in the league and Wild history.

"He doesn't score when it's a 6-2 game," Talbot said. "He doesn't pot the seventh goal or something like that. He's a gamer. He wants to be in those situations where we're either up a goal and need an insurance or we need a tying goal.

"He thrives in those situations. He's a very special player, and we're definitely lucky to have him."

Since the Wild's win streak began March 13 vs. Boston, no one on the team has more goals (six) and points (eight) than Kaprizov.

Three of his tallies have opened the scoring for the Wild, with all three on the up-and-down power play, and two have tied the game. The other widened the team's lead.

More recently, the 24-year-old has four goals over his past three games, which the Wild played in four days. The last two were part of a back-to-back against Columbus and Colorado that the Wild swept, and built a three-point buffer over No. 3 St. Louis in the division.

"It's great to be able to come back in the third period and to win in OT," Kaprizov said in Russian through an interpreter after the Wild's latest 3-2 overtime rally on Sunday vs. the Avalanche. "We've done this a couple times now. Overall, it's just a good win, and we're very happy with it."

Before this turnaround by the Wild, Kaprizov acknowledged the pressure he felt to help the team shake off its struggles and said he wasn't at his best. While his production more than suggested he was doing his part, he still picked up the pace — and that has put him on the brink of the unprecedented.

Not only are Kaprizov's 81 points only two shy of Marian Gaborik's single-season scoring record with the Wild (2007-08), but he is also on track to post the most goals and assists, too. He's at 36 goals (six away) and 45 assists (five).

Already, he has eclipsed Gaborik's 22 multi-point games (2005-06) with his record-setting 23rd on Saturday.

As for the NHL leaderboard, he finished the weekend tied for eighth. The Wild has never had a top-10 scorer.

"It's not something I think about," Kaprizov said of the points record. "If I beat it, great. I'd be very happy and honored to do that. But for the most part, I'm focused on the game, doing the best I can and getting wins.

"If I do that, and our team wins, everything will kind of work out. It would be a great accomplishment."

Based on his performance of late and the Wild's results, the two are correlated and Kaprizov keeps making an impact despite a more grueling brand of hockey in the second half as teams prepare for the postseason.

And that's another of his eye-catching knacks is that Kaprizov doesn't shy away from the punishment that can come with working along the boards or around the net. Instead, the 5-10, 202-pound winger plays through the contact or, in some cases, returns it.

"I just do my job," Kaprizov said. "Score goals, help my team win and just play my game. I would think there's no one out there that wants to get a sweaty hand in the face or a butt end to the face. I think there's a time and a place where you have to stick up for yourself.

"But, overall, I'm just trying to play my game and not to react. Everyone has their limits. But, for the most part, I tend to focus on the game at hand."

Grit and skill are the Wild's strategy, a combination that even the team's offensive guru embodies.

"He's a special player, that's for sure," said newcomer Marc-Andre Fleury, who previously faced off against Kaprizov as the goalie for Chicago and Vegas before the Wild acquired him. "The way he carries himself on the ice, his hands, his footwork, his speed, even his physicality. I think he finishes his body checks. I think he surprises a lot of people with the reverse shoulder.

"Definitely fun to watch."