Minnesota Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek keeps the puck away from Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin. Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Wild Find Cracks in Golden Knights' Armor

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jon Alfano | Last updated Apr 23, 2025 11:00 AM ET

It may have only been Game 2, but the Minnesota Wild were absolutely in a must-win situation on Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Before this game, the Wild were not only down 1-0 in the series after losing Game 1 4-2 on Sunday, but remember that they also lost all three regular-season games against the Knights. They desperately needed a win and a confidence booster, and they rose to the occasion.

Minnesota finally punched back against Vegas on Tuesday, earning a crucial 5-2 victory on the road. They started fast too, jumping out to a 4-0 lead just four minutes into the second period.

“From a competitive level, we were where we needed to be,” Wild head coach John Hynes said, per NHL.com. “But the big part is boys under pressure, playing smart, understanding how to manage those certain things, and I thought we did a fairly good job of that tonight. They had some strong pushes, and we got some timely saves when we needed them.”

Kirill Kaprizov was the star of the show, as he so often is, with two goals on the night. He also made a beautiful stretch pass to spring Matt Boldy, who beat Vegas goaltender Adin Hill to get Minnesota on the board.

97 to 12 just makes sense pic.twitter.com/mHpWLmfE3M
— x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) April 23, 2025

“That might have been the best pass I've ever seen,” Boldy said. “Like, I didn't have to do much. He's a special player, obviously. You see all the plays he makes, how hard he works, but for him to have the poise and to make that pass right on my tape, it was unbelievable.”

Filip Gustavsson was also very sharp in net, stopping 30 of 32 shots he faced.

As the series shifts to Minnesota on Thursday, the Wild must build on their newfound momentum if they want to upset the Pacific Division champions.

“We just got to our game,” Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. ”The start was the start, but we felt good going into it, and it was nice to see us take over there.”

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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