Scoggins: Kirill Kaprizov’s excellence, Matt Boldy’s scoring, Filip Gustavsson’s goaltending give Wild a chance

The punch landed flush on Kirill Kaprizov’s face, sending the Wild superstar to the ice. It was a cheap shot in the middle of a scrum that didn’t draw a penalty.

Kaprizov saved his retaliation for a more appropriate time and situation. His length-of-the-ice toss found the open net, sealing a win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 Tuesday night that evened the series and showed the Wild can take a punch and deliver some haymakers of their own as well.

Having a player of Kaprizov’s talent helps the cause. Matt Boldy and Filip Gustavsson, too.

A 5-2 win that included a 4-0 lead can be boiled down to its simplest terms: The Wild’s best players were their best players.

That formula gives the Wild a chance at a series upset, if it continues with Game 3 on Thursday at Xcel Energy Center.

The Wild began the postseason with a giant question mark beside their name. Or maybe it was a U for “Unknown.”

They waited until the final possible day to secure a playoff berth, largely because injuries to cornerstone players created endless disruption to the roster.

The Wild finally got healthy in time for the playoffs, but it was unclear if they could be whole again, or somehow rekindle the mojo that made them the surprise team in the NHL through early December.

That version rode the coattails of their superstar and their goalie. Kaprizov was an early MVP candidate; Gustavsson emerged as the stingiest goalie in the league.

Game 2 was a throwback to December in that regard.

Kaprizov was magnificent and Gustavsson saved his team’s bacon early and then late as Vegas threw everything at them, punches included.

Hockey’s regular season is marked by ebbs and flows. Playoff hockey often gets defined by dramatic swings as teams play pingpong with momentum. The Wild should expect the Golden Knights to bring a sense of desperation to Game 3.

The Wild gain confidence knowing Kaprizov looks like himself after missing half the season. He scored two goals with three assists in the first two games, tied for NHL lead in playoff points.

Beyond point production, he’s making Kirill The Thrill plays once again. He has assisted on all three of Boldy’s goals, and these haven’t been garden variety setups.

In Game 1, he threaded a cross-ice pass to Boldy with multiple defenders in the vicinity. The puck only had eyes for Boldy.

Kaprizov topped that one in Game 2 for the Wild’s first goal. He ignited a Boldy breakaway with a saucer pass that should be marked, “Do not try this at home.”

“Yeah, it was unbelievable,” Boldy told reporters in Vegas.

That’s what stars do, produce plays that make teammates and observers alike shake their head and say, “unbelievable.”

When he’s healthy and at his best, Kaprizov makes spectacular plays look effortless, almost routine. Except, of course, they are not routine. Especially his slick passing. He executes passes that other players either wouldn’t attempt or wouldn’t see. The great ones play the game a step ahead.

Superstars also raise the level of those around them. Boldy is riding that wave so far in this series. His aggressiveness in feeding off Kaprizov’s playmaking has made the top line a scoring threat every shift.

Without reliable goaltending though, nothing else matters in the playoffs. Game 2 might have been won in the first five minutes — well before the scoring barrage — thanks to Gustavsson’s calming presence.

The Golden Knights came out roaring to catch the Wild flat-footed. All the action took place at one end of the ice. Gustavsson kept things together while his teammates cleared cobwebs.

Had Vegas scored first, who knows how the rest of the game might have gone. Gustavsson also held up as the Golden Knights made a hard push in the second period after gaining life. The Wild were on the edge of a cliff, hanging by fingertips. Their goalie kept the lead at two goals.

This suddenly looks like it could be a long series. The Golden Knights have a championship pedigree. Their response likely will be forceful, just as the Wild’s was after losing Game 1. These back-and-forth swings are what turn playoff series into their own minidramas.

Kaprizov and Gustavsson were headliners in the Wild’s blistering start to the season. The formula for success hasn’t changed all these months later.