The Minnesota Wild are off to the best start in franchise history 10-2-3. Three unsung heroes have played better than expected.

Kaprizov leads Minnesota with a +14 plus-minus. Montreal's 46 total goals (2.9 per game) rank 17th in the league. The Canadiens have conceded 4.1 goals per game, 66 total, which ranks 31st among league teams. It has a -20 goal differential, which ranks 32nd in the league. The Canadiens are shooting 11.8% (10th in the league).

The Wild have the second-highest PDO and are also tied for the fewest expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5. A second-ranked .935 team save percentage and fifth-ranked 10.5 team shooting percentage at 5-on-5 will gloss over a lot of underlying shortcomings.

Keep an eye on Kirill Kaprizov and Nicholas Suzuki in particular on Thursday, when the Minnesota Wild meet the Montreal Canadiens at Xcel Energy Center, with the puck dropping at 8:00 PM ET. Buy tickets for this matchup at StubHub!

Pregame analysis and predictions of the Montreal Canadiens vs. Minnesota Wild NHL game to be played on November 14, 2024 on ESPN.

FanDuel Sports Network North; 100.3 FM Canadiens update: Montreal is tied for the fewest points in the NHL at 5-9-2, but the Canadiens are coming off a slump-busting victory vs. the Sabres on Monday.