Kevin Fiala scored the decisive goal in the shootout, leading the Minnesota Wild to a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night, snapping the Wild’s five-game road losing streak.
“We’ve been playing really well at home, but it hadn’t carried over to the road,” said Wild goaltender Cam Talbot, who delivered a standout performance with 35 saves. “Every game is a four-point game this year. You know you’ll have to face a team like this in the playoffs, so winning here gives us confidence.”
Talbot, who remains undefeated at home with a 7-0-0 record, improved to 3-5-2 on the road. Over his last eight starts, Talbot is 6-1-1 with a 1.72 goals-against average and a .948 save percentage. He leads the NHL in saves and shots against, while ranking second in wins since March 1.
Kirill Kaprizov and Jared Spurgeon also found the back of the net for Minnesota, while Fiala’s shootout goal, which banked off the post and Robin Lehner’s pad, sealed the win.
“He’s a big goalie, so I wasn’t sure what to do,” Fiala admitted. “I went low, got lucky with the post, but I’ll take it.”
William Karlsson and Brayden McNabb scored for the Golden Knights. Lehner made 35 saves but suffered his first loss since returning from a concussion, falling to 3-0-1.
Vegas had a golden opportunity in overtime with a 4-on-3 power play, but Talbot denied three solid chances. Minnesota nearly ended it with Kaprizov’s wraparound attempt, but Lehner stood tall.
Playing with just 10 forwards due to injuries and suspensions, Vegas came out with more energy than the previous night’s loss to Los Angeles. However, this marked the first time Vegas lost back-to-back home games since early 2020.
Despite the loss, Vegas earned a point and moved into a first-place tie with Colorado atop the West Division, with both teams sitting at 50 points.
Karlsson opened the scoring with a shot over Talbot’s shoulder, but Minnesota responded quickly with Kaprizov redirecting Jordan Greenway’s shot for his 13th goal of the season.
The second period featured stellar goaltending from both sides. Talbot robbed Keegan Kolesar twice quickly, while Lehner stopped Joel Eriksson Ek’s attempt from the slot, and Talbot denied Alex Tuch on a breakaway.
McNabb snapped a 66-game goal drought, giving Vegas a brief 2-1 lead before Spurgeon capitalized on a 4-on-3 power play to tie the game 2-2.
MILESTONE MATS:
Minnesota forward Mats Zuccarello played in his 600th career NHL game.
NIC’S PENALTY TROUBLES:
Vegas defenseman Nic Hague, who had only six penalty minutes in his first 28 games, has racked up 14 penalty minutes in his last four games.
STEPHENSON SUSPENDED:
Golden Knights forward Chandler Stephenson began serving a three-game suspension for elbowing Kings defenseman Tobias Bjornfot. He will forfeit $71,120.70, which will go to the players’ emergency assistance fund.
UP NEXT:
- The Wild and Golden Knights will conclude their two-game series in Las Vegas on Saturday.