After two losses to the Vegas Golden Knights on the road, the Minnesota Wild returned home determined to get back on track. They succeeded, earning a 4-3 victory over the West Division leaders on Wednesday night, completing a two-game sweep.
Joel Eriksson Ek led the charge for the Wild, scoring twice in his second career two-goal game. Kaapo Kahkonen made 24 saves to secure his eighth consecutive win, a franchise rookie record, despite allowing a hat trick to defenseman Dylan Coghlan, who scored the first three goals of his career for Vegas.
Kahkonen stood strong during a late Vegas push, stopping a final flurry after Coghlan brought the Golden Knights within one by scoring with 6 minutes left and again with 2:10 remaining with an extra attacker.
“If you lose a game or two, you want to show the other team you’re not an easy opponent and will push back,” Kahkonen said. “We did a great job of answering.”
Kirill Kaprizov snapped an eight-game power-play drought early in the third period, while Eriksson Ek added his 10th goal of the season, and Carson Soucy made it 4-1 as Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury struggled. Fleury, who entered the night as one of the league’s top goalies, stopped 25 shots before being pulled.
Coach Pete DeBoer turned to Logan Thompson for the final period, giving the rookie his NHL debut, stating Fleury needed rest. However, DeBoer expressed disappointment in his team’s performance, calling it a “self-destruct” despite Coghlan’s valiant effort to rally them.
“Our execution was terrible,” said Vegas forward Mark Stone.
Eriksson Ek scored 19 seconds into the game by intercepting a clearing attempt. Coghlan answered 83 seconds later with his first career goal to tie the game.
Kaprizov gave Minnesota the lead in the third period, scoring 25 seconds into a power play after a hooking call against Nicolas Hague. Kaprizov converted a rebound for his seventh goal of the season and increased his rookie points lead.
Minnesota is now 9-2-1 in its last 12 games, sitting just two points behind Vegas in the standings.
“I feel like we’re really coming together as a team and finding chemistry,” said Wild forward Nick Bjugstad. “It’s a fun group to battle with every day.”
KAHKONEN’S STREAK
Kahkonen’s win streak is the longest active in the NHL, boasting a 1.62 goals-against average over his last seven games. The Wild’s record for consecutive wins is held by Devan Dubnyk, who won 10 straight in 2016.
“He’s a gamer and competes to make big saves,” said Soucy.
HISTORIC HAT TRICK
Coghlan became the third defenseman in NHL history to score his first three career goals in the same game, joining Uli Hiemer (1984, New Jersey) and Joe Hall (1918, Montreal).
“I wish we could’ve won; that would have been the icing on the cake,” Coghlan said. “But I felt pretty good.”
INJURY UPDATE
Vegas saw the return of defenseman Brayden McNabb (lower body, 15 games) and Mark Stone (undisclosed, one game). McNabb felt his presence early with a big hit on Minnesota’s Kyle Rau, who briefly left the game but later returned. Kaprizov also returned after being hit in the head by a puck.
Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was sent back to Nevada to be evaluated for an upper-body injury. DeBoer said the situation is “not a great sign.”
UP NEXT
- Golden Knights: Head to St. Louis for a two-game series against the Blues on Friday and Saturday. Pietrangelo is expected to miss his first chance to play against his former team.
- Wild: Stay home for three games against the Arizona Coyotes, starting on Friday.