Jonathan Marchessault’s goal in the second period proved to be the game-winner. Marc-Andre Fleury made 36 saves as the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Minnesota Wild 5-1 on Wednesday night.
With the win, Vegas swept the two-game series against Minnesota and held first place in the West Division, one point ahead of the St. Louis Blues.
Alex Tuch, Mark Stone, Chandler Stephenson, and William Karlsson also scored for the Golden Knights, who improved their impressive home record to 10-2-1.
“We know that every game is crucial, especially within the division,” said Tuch, who ranks second on the team with nine goals. “Minnesota’s a good team and works hard, but we played a solid 60 minutes.”
Fleury, making his 10th consecutive start, improved to 11-3-0 this season, allowing two or fewer goals in 10 of his 14 appearances. His 11 wins rank third in the NHL, behind Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and Toronto’s Frederik Andersen.
“The more you play, the more natural it becomes,” Fleury said after surpassing Gump Worsley for 12th all-time with 861 career games. “You react, and the play seems to slow down, so it’s been good.”
Marcus Foligno scored for Minnesota, while Cam Talbot made 23 saves. The Wild, who outshot Vegas 37-28, saw their season-high seven-game point streak and five-game road point streak come to an end.
“Not getting goals tonight was frustrating,” Wild coach Dean Evason said. “We had plenty of opportunities, but Fleury was there, and we couldn’t finish. We had the effort, but it wasn’t enough.”
Vegas scored early when Cody Glass set up Tuch, who scored his fifth goal in five games with a wrist shot past Talbot. Minnesota, known for dominating the first period, was shut out in the opening frame for the second straight game.
Marchessault extended Vegas’ lead in the second period, moments after a power play ended. Tuch found Marchessault, who fired a shot past Talbot to make it 2-0.
Foligno ended Fleury’s shutout bid with a goal early in the third, but it wasn’t enough to spark a Minnesota comeback. Stone then took over, orchestrating a 2-on-1 break with Stephenson and scoring his fifth goal of the season by outwaiting Talbot.
Stephenson capped off the scoring with a slick backhand shot under the crossbar, while Karlsson added an empty-netter with just over two minutes left. Vegas has now outscored opponents 23-12 in the third period this season.
Parise Benched
Minnesota’s assistant captain Zach Parise was a healthy scratch for the first time in his Wild career, a decision he said he didn’t agree with. Parise’s benching followed a lengthy shift in Monday’s overtime loss to Vegas, during which he didn’t change lines and was on the ice when Tuch scored the game-tying goal.
Strong Penalty Kill
Vegas has excelled on the penalty kill, going a perfect 18 for 18 over the last nine games. The Golden Knights rank fourth in the league with an 88.2% penalty kill success rate, allowing only six goals on 51 opponent power plays.
Power Play Woes Continue
Minnesota, which entered the game with the league’s worst power play, continued to struggle, going 0 for 3 with the man advantage. The Wild have scored just five power-play goals in 66 opportunities this season.
Farewell to Sequeira
Vegas’ in-arena entertainment director, Ayron Sequeira, was honored during the third period of her final game in that role. The team gave her a heartfelt send-off, and the 2,605 fans in attendance showed their appreciation with a standing ovation.
Up Next
- Minnesota heads to Arizona on Friday to begin a two-game series.
- Vegas embarks on a six-game road trip, starting with San Jose on Friday.
