In Las Vegas, Kirill Kaprizov was a key player for the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night, scoring two goals and adding an assist. The Wild capitalized on turnovers by the Vegas Golden Knights to win Game 2 by a score of 5-2, bringing the first-round playoff series level at one game each.
The third game of the series is scheduled for Thursday night in St. Paul, Minnesota.
This win marked Minnesota`s first against the Golden Knights during the current season, including the playoffs. Vegas had previously won all three regular-season matchups and secured a 4-2 victory in Game 1 on Sunday.
Prior to this game, Minnesota`s most recent win in regulation time was on March 27 against Washington. The Golden Knights hadn`t lost in regulation since April 3, when they played Winnipeg.
Matt Boldy continued his strong performance, scoring his third goal in two games and contributing an assist. Marcus Foligno and Mats Zuccarello also scored for Minnesota. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson was solid, making 29 saves. With two goals and three assists in the series so far, Kaprizov has been a significant offensive force.
For the Golden Knights, goals were scored by Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl. Adin Hill made 12 saves in net for Vegas.
Vegas started the game aggressively, registering the first five shots, but Gustavsson kept them all out. Minnesota then gained control, scoring three goals in the opening period. Two of these goals resulted directly from Golden Knights turnovers, and the third came from a puck battle won by Ryan Hartman.
Another giveaway by the Golden Knights, this time from Shea Theodore, resulted in Kirill Kaprizov extending Minnesota`s lead to 4-0 just under four minutes into the second period.
The Golden Knights responded with significant pressure, largely controlling play for the remainder of the game. They scored two goals during this time and outshot the Wild 22-5 in the period. Vegas will look to carry this momentum into the next game as the series moves to Minnesota. The intensity at the end of Game 2 suggested the series could become quite heated.
With 4:38 remaining in the game, several minor altercations occurred, but no penalties were called by the referees.
Kirill Kaprizov sealed the victory with an empty-net goal from almost the full length of the ice with 2:26 left on the clock, removing any remaining uncertainty about the outcome.
Tristan Blackwood