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 Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild have no lengthy history; the latter only joined the NHL in 1999. However, after 31 meetings, the Wild are one of four teams against which the Canadiens still have a losing record,

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.

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.