Minnesota Wild levelled their playoff series with the Vegas Golden Knights after a blistering first period and a two-goal showing from Kirill Kaprizov secured a 5-2 victory at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday night.
Minnesota's new-look line of Marcus Foligno, Ryan Hartman and Gustav Nyquist sparked a rapid turnaround in Game 2 as the Wild powered past the Golden Knights 5-2, evening the first-round NHL playoff series at 1-1.
A slow start saw the Wild pinned in their own zone and outshot early, but a sequence of momentum-shifting plays from the trio helped Minnesota flip the script. Hartman’s aggressive drive, Foligno’s record-setting physicality, and Nyquist’s resilience set up the Wild’s best spell of the series.
“They swung momentum our way,” said head coach John Hynes. “That set the tone for the night.”
Kaprizov, who finished with two goals, helped break the deadlock by feeding Matt Boldy a perfect pass for the opener at 9:56 of the first period. Boldy, who became only the second player in franchise history to score three consecutive playoff goals, buried the chance with confidence.
Minutes later, Foligno cashed in on a Hartman rebound to double the lead, before Mats Zuccarello stretched the advantage to 3-0 with a solo effort late in the period.
Vegas fought back with goals from Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl, but Kaprizov’s finish in the second and a 170-foot empty-netter in the final minutes sealed the win for Minnesota. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 30 saves and the Wild blocked 30 shots in a gritty, bend-don’t-break showing.
“We just got to our game,” Foligno said. “First game was a little bit iffy. Tonight, we were ready.”
Kaprizov’s 12 career playoff goals now tie him for second-most in team history, and he is also tied for the league lead in playoff points. Boldy’s three goals place him joint-top in the postseason.
Game 3 is Thursday in St. Paul, where the Wild will look to ride their momentum into home ice.
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