Blog: Golden Knights beat Wild at home for first time

By Justin Emerson

Published Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019 | 3 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019 | 9:34 p.m.

The Golden Knights are running out of firsts in their three-year history, but found room for at least one more Tuesday night. After allowing the first goal, they scored three unanswered goals and beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2 at T-Mobile Arena, the first time they beat the Wild in regulation and first time they beat the Wild at home in any fashion in franchise history.

Vegas entered the game 1-5 all-time against Minnesota, with the only victory coming in a shootout last season on the road.

The Wild scored first Tuesday, capitalizing on a 5-on-3 power play as the first period came to a close. Mats Zuccarello had the goal, and Minnesota took a 1-0 lead into the second period.

That second period belonged to the Golden Knights. They scored twice, first from Chandler Stephenson and then from Shea Theodore to put Vegas up 2-1 after two.

Minnesota had a glorious chance two minutes into the third period, when Luke Kunin drew Marc-Andre Fleury far to the left post and slid the puck over to Matt Dumba racing down the left wing. Dumba had the entire net to shoot at and missed badly, maintaining Vegas' one-goal lead.

Instead of Dumba scoring to tie the game, the Golden Knights soon extended their lead. 

Tomas Nosek tried to float a pass down low, but had it batted out of the air and back to him. So he wound up and shot it himself, beating Alex Stalock clean and giving the Golden Knights a 3-1 lead at 6:16 of the third.

Minnesota pulled Stalock down by two with 2:42 left in the game, allowing Zach Parise to put home his team-best 14th of the season with 1:15 left to trim the lead to 3-2. Stalock left the net again with 52 seconds left, but the Wild could not net the equalizer.

Vegas finished with the lead in shots on goal 29-26.

Golden Knights score twice in 2nd to grab lead on Wild

The second period was a gritty, physical affair, but the only two goals in it came from the home side, as the Golden Knights will enter the third period with a 2-1 lead on the Minnesota Wild.

The start of the period wasn't bad for the Golden Knights, but they couldn't get it in the net. Reilly Smith and William Karlsson had an early 2-on-1 that was broken up, but the Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson odd-man rush was not.

Both players executed to perfection. Stone held onto the puck just long enough to make goalie Alex Stalock commit, then pulled out some nifty stick-work to slide the puck around defenseman and to Stephenson. Stalock jumped from one post to the other, but Stephenson threaded it between his pad and glove to even the game at 11:22. Max Pacioretty picked up the secondary assist.

The game got feisty in the period centered around Deryk Engelland and Eric Staal. Engelland appeared to cross-check Staal when he was on the ice, which Stall took exception to. The two continued to jaw throughout the period as both teams upped the physicality.

Right when it looked like the period would end in a tie, Shea Theodore walked into the right circle and sniped Stalock with 10 seconds left in the frame. It was Theodore's fourth of the season, assisted by Stone, and his sixth point in his last three games.

Vegas led in shots on goal 20-17.

Golden Knights trail Wild by a goal after 1

The first period of the Golden Knights-Wild game went just about you'd expect a Golden Knights-Wild game to go. There wasn't a whole lot of action, then the Wild converted a late goal to put Vegas in a 1-0 hole after a period.

The first great chance for either side came nine minutes off a Vegas rush. Max Pacioretty sauced the puck from one wing to the other setting up a back-door play for Mark Stone, but Alex Stalock dove across the crease to deny Stone. 

And that was one of very few chances. Both teams combined for six shots on goal until the Golden Knights sent the seventh shot on goal of the game at Stalock at the 14:32 mark of the period.

Both sides didn't do much on either of their power play, until the Golden Knights took two in rapid succession. First Reilly Smith was called for a trip, then 23 seconds later Mark Stone got the gate for interference. That set up a Minnesota 5-on-3 and it didn't miss.

Mats Zuccarello positioned himself the right of the net, and as the Wild crept closer and closer to the net, Matt Dumba flipped the puck over to Zuccarello who put it home with 39 seconds left in the period.

The Golden Knights will have to kill 58 seconds of Stone's penalty when the second period begins. Vegas led in shots on goal 8-7.

Golden Knights seeking first home win vs. Minnesota Wild

There is one team the Golden Knights have yet to beat in regulation, and it is coming to T-Mobile Arena tonight.

The Golden Knights defeated the Minnesota Wild in a shootout last season, scoring a late goal to force overtime. They've lost the other five meetings. Vegas will get its first crack of the season at the Wild at 7 p.m. today.

The Wild, which are suddenly looking like a threat in the Western Conference, are 3-0 all time in Las Vegas.

"It's a team we've had a lot of trouble with over the first two years, and we need to play better against them tonight," Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. "They're playing well, and we've got to make sure we're ready to go tonight."

Minnesota had a tumultuous offseason and won only four of its first 14 games, looking very much like a team bound for the draft lottery. Then the Wild turned into one of the hottest teams in the league. They've lost in regulation just twice in their last 14 games. They briefly held a playoff spot and are three points out of the second Wild Card position.

Las Vegas native Jason Zucker is second on the Minnesota team with 24 points and has five points in six career games against the Golden Knights, but he will not play tonight because of a lower-body injury.

Defenseman Brad Hunt, an original Golden Knight, is scheduled to play for the Wild after settling into a major role for Minnesota. He played in Vegas until he was traded to the Wild in January.

Hunt was in and out of the Vegas lineup the two years he was here, but he has become a mainstay on the Wild defense and has 12 points after playing in all their games.

Marc-Andre Fleury will start in goal for the second game in a row for Vegas, opposed by Minnesota netminder Alex Stalock.

Two Golden Knights with Minnesota connections have a shot at milestones tonight as well. Former Wild forward Alex Tuch is one point from 100 in his career, and Nate Schmidt, who played collegiately at the University of Minnesota, is two assists from 100 in his career.

TV: AT&T Sports Net (DirecTV 684, Cox 1313, CenturyLink 1760)

Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM and 98.9 FM

Betting line: Golden Knights minus-200, Wild plus-175; over/under: 6 (minus-105, minus-115)

Golden Knights (18-13-5, 41 points) (9-6-3 home), third place, Pacific Division

Coach: Gerard Gallant (third season)

Points leader: Max Pacioretty (34)

Goals leader: Max Pacioretty (15)

Assists leader: Max Pacioretty (19)

Expected goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury (2.56 GAA, .918 save percentage)

Wild (16-13-5, 37 points) (7-12-2 road), fifth place, Central Division; third place, Wild Card

Coach: Bruce Boudreau (fourth season)

Points leader: Eric Staal (26)

Goals leader: Zach Parise (13)

Assists leader: Ryan Suter (19)

Expected goalie: Alex Stalock (2.79 GAA, .908 save percentage)

Golden Knights projected lineup

Forwards

Jonathan Marchessault—William Karlsson—Reilly Smith

Max Pacioretty—Chandler Stephenson—Mark Stone

Valentin Zykov—Paul Stastny—Alex Tuch

William Carrier—Tomas Nosek—Ryan Reaves

Defensemen

Brayden McNabb—Nate Schmidt

Jon Merrill—Shea Theodore

Nick Holden—Deryk Engelland

Goalies

Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban