What Happened
The Minnesota Wild earned a 4-2 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night at St. Paul, building a three-goal advantage in the opening frame. Max Shabanov converted on the power play, while Matt Boldy and Danila Yurov also added early markers. Rasmus Andersson put Vegas on the board in the second period, and William Karlsson narrowed the deficit to one midway through the third. However, Joel Eriksson Ek sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final minutes. Jesper Wallstedt stopped 21 shots for Minnesota, whereas Carter Hart turned away 24 attempts for Vegas. During the contest, Minnesota lost forward Nico Sturm to a head injury after he was struck by a teammate's slap shot.
Key Details
- Minnesota killed all five penalties faced during the game.
- Jesper Wallstedt has started all six games in goal for the Wild this season.
- Carter Hart made 24 saves for Vegas.
- Joel Eriksson Ek scored an empty-net goal with 1:22 remaining.
- Nico Sturm exited the game in the first period following an inadvertent hit from Jared Spurgeon.
What It Means
The win highlights Minnesota's early-season special teams dominance. The Wild lead the NHL in penalty-killing efficiency after successfully defending all five shorthanded situations, and their power play has now converted in six consecutive games to start the campaign, tying a franchise record. Meanwhile, Vegas continues to struggle with slow starts, falling into a three-goal hole in the first period for the second time across three outings.