ST. PAUL — Hockey fans who love the Stanley Cup Playoffs should inject this Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild series into their veins.
The Wild played well in game one, though Vegas took the victory before the Wild split on the road and then won Game 3 with back-to-back, offense-fueled 5-2 victories. Goal scoring, hits, special teams and elite goaltending, plus an energetic Minnesota crowd. All those boxes are checked in this best-of-seven series, which is knotted at two games apiece.
“It was good playoff hockey,” said Wild winger Marcus Foligno. “It was exciting. We had chances there at the end. … It was a good hockey game.
“This is a series. They’re a heck of a team. Not going to be easy. It was a good game both sides. This is what we expect. … We played a hard game, and it’s got to be the same effort in Vegas.”
The only box the Wild didn’t check off was taking a 3-1 series lead for the first time in franchise history. Vegas got the edge with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 4 after Ivan Barbashev capitalized on a failed clearing attempt by the Wild with just 2:34 left in overtime to score the winner. Vegas took a 3-2 lead halfway through the third period before Wild captain Jared Spurgeon answered just 54 seconds later.
Overtime on home ice also hasn’t been kind to the Wild. All-time, they’re 4-8 at Xcel Energy Center in overtime playoff games, including 0-for-5 since their last home OT victory. That was Mikael Granlund’s diving goal back on April 21, 2014 in game three against Colorado.
But even after losing in overtime Saturday, Wild players and coach John Hynes were positive about the status of the series.
Marcus Foligno skates toward the Wild bench after scoring a goal early in the second period Saturday to give the Wild a 2-1 lead in Game 4. Foligno has scored in three consecutive games. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)
“Ah man, we’re in a good spot,” Hynes said. “It was a hard-fought battle. We played well again. Game was right in our hands. Both teams competed hard.
“We knew it would be a hard series. Love where we’re at. … We’re here, man. We’ll just keep grinding.”
The Wild will have to grind their way through a familiar script that its fans know all too well when it comes to playoff history, marking the fifth time the Wild have taken a 2-1 series lead only to lose Game 4 and see the series get tied up.
The Wild have never taken a 3-1 series lead in 14 Stanley Cup Playoffs appearances. So far, the Wild are 1-3 in series when they had a 2-1 lead, winning the first round against St. Louis in 2015 but losing series in 2008, 2022 and 2023. They’d like to reverse that trend and make that record a 2-3 mark by winning this series against Vegas.
Can this time be different?
Every series is different, and this one has shown Wild sparks that would indicate the outcome could be a victorious one for Minnesota. The Wild’s playoff history is filled with losses where the team has had trouble scoring goals. Whether it was matching up against a hot goaltender or not, the Wild have struggled to finish plays and ultimately put the puck in the net, despite playing well and generating plenty of scoring chances. The Wild have had their opportunities over the years, failed to capitalize on them, and now it’s been a decade since the franchise has won a playoff series.
Two years ago, the Wild were up 2-1 in the series against the Dallas Stars before losing in six games. After the loss, forward Ryan Hartman offered a common refrain about what was missing to get the win.
Ryan Hartman has one assist in each of the first four games of this series against Vegas. In his last nine career playoff games, Hartman has two goals and seven assists. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)
“There’s opportunities throughout this series where we could have not necessarily put the nail in the coffin, but we could have separated ourselves a little bit more,” Hartman said, after the series loss in 2023. “We failed to capitalize on opportunities throughout the series.”
So far, the Wild have capitalized on its opportunities this time around, with the biggest exception being in overtime Saturday. The Wild also had a power play about eight minutes into overtime but failed to end the game.
Now the Wild needs to prove that this year and this team are different. Turning this series into effectively a best-of-three means the Wild, a better road team than home team this season, will have to win at least one game in Vegas if it’s going to advance. Foligno, who’s scored a goal in each of the past three games, likes this Wild team as one to chart a winning course this time.
“I like the experience that we have from those previous playoff runs where we’re right there,” Foligno said, after Game 4. “We worked really hard tonight. The way we answered and came back after their goal is the mental toughness that we’ve been showing all year. 2-2 doesn’t scare us.”
The Boldy-Kaprizov connection
This 2025 playoffs stage hasn’t been too big for the Wild’s top players either. The top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy has been a lightning rod for the team’s offense in the playoffs. Having Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek return near the end of the regular season from their lengthy absences due to injury has been the boost the team needed.
The wild’s top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy (left) and Joel Eriksson Ek (right) have combined for 15 points through the first four games of the playoff series against Vegas. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)
Boldy’s also exploded with his offensive production. He came into series with just two goals in 12 career playoff games. This time around, he’s scored four goals and two assists in the first three games; he was held off the scoresheet on Saturday. He scored both Wild goals in Game 1 and became the second player in franchise history with three consecutive team goals in the postseason, joining Marian Gaborik who accomplished the feat in the 2003 second round series.
Kaprizov, who’s come back strong after missing most of the Wild games since Christmas with a lower-body injury that required surgery, has kept pace with Boldy. He also has four goals and added an assist Saturday on his 28th birthday to bring his playoff points total to eight in four games so far. His 14 career playoff goals are only two shy of Zach Parise’s 16 for the most in franchise history.
It’s all part of that cliché: Your best players have to be your best players.
“Those guys bring it every night, whether the puck is going in or not,” said Wild defenseman Brock Faber, after Game 3. “Just their work ethic on the ice – they’re the hardest workers and the most skilled players. So, when you got two guys who have both those traits, they’re hard to stop and we’re hard to beat.
“It’s definitely fun to watch those guys.”
In net, the Wild have gotten what they need from Filip Gustavsson, too. He made 42 saves on Saturday despite getting tagged with the loss. He made plenty of spectacular saves to keep Vegas at bay throughout the game.
Filip Gustavsson’s 42 saves in Game 4 are tied for the fifth-highest total in the Wild’s postseason history. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)
Gustavsson was also upbeat and pleased with the effort from the team, even if the result wasn’t there for them at the end.
“You always hate losing,” Gustavsson said. “But you know, hockey’s a team sport. You can have a great day and you still lose. It’s all about the team. You win and lose together.
“I think the feeling in the locker room is very good. Everyone has a lot of confidence right now.”
They’ll need to make sure they pack that positivity with them. With this series against Vegas tied 2-2 in the present day, the Wild will head back to Vegas trying to buck the historical trends of the franchise’s results.
Hynes said his players are “dialed in,” and there’s a belief in how they’re playing right now. He added that they’ve been resilient all year. They’ll move on to Game 5 Tuesday in Vegas. They feel confident headed into that game, Foligno said, adding that “the road doesn’t faze this team.”
“We had to win two games to win this series this morning,” Hartman said. “It’s still the same way; we’ve still got to win two hockey games.”
