Viewers guide to Minnesota Wild at Anaheim Ducks on ESPN+

Tonight is the first game of the 2021-22 NHL season that will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu, and it should be a great one. We’ve got a captivating early-season matchup as reigning Calder Trophy winner Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild head out west to take on the feisty Anaheim Ducks at 10 p.m. ET.

To help get you ready for the matchup, we’ve put together a guide on all the key players to watch for both teams, in-depth statistical insights on the Wild and Ducks from ESPN Stats & Information, and more.

This season, ESPN+ will broadcast 75 exclusive regular-season games, with ABC and ESPN airing a combined 28 exclusive regular-season games for a total of 103 games. The complete broadcast schedule can be found here.

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10:00 p.m. ET | Watch live on ESPN+
Line: Minnesota -160 | Over/under: 5.5

Wild
ESPN Power Rankings: 15
Goalie tandem rank: 14
2020-21 at a glance: 35-16-5, lost in first round

Most fascinating player: One of the offseason’s most overrated dramas was Kirill Kaprizov’s contract negotiation with the Wild, which ended with him signing a five-year deal with a $9 million annual cap hit. He was always coming back. The Wild were always going to pay him. He even said there was “no chance” he was going to follow through on the threat to play in the KHL, with GM Bill Guerin quipping, “You shouldn’t answer that. You’re going to blow it for the next contract negotiation.” Putting this all behind us, “Dolla Dolla Kirill Y’all” had 51 points in 55 games to win rookie of the year honors, and infused the Wild with a jolt of enthusiasm in the same way a young Alex Ovechkin did for the Capitals 16 years ago. — Greg Wyshynski

• Kaprizov is a player that must be seen to be truly appreciated, but he put up some impressive numbers as a rookie. Not only was he nearly a point-per-game player last season (finishing with 51 in 55 games), but he was second in the league with 17 net penalties, drawing 25 while taking only…