Kaprizov Leads Wild Past Golden Knights to Even Series in Game 2
Via NHL.com
LAS VEGAS — Kirill Kaprizov scored twice and added an assist to power the Minnesota Wild to a 5-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena, evening their Western Conference First Round series at 1-1.
The Wild, the Western Conference’s first wild card, now return home to St. Paul for Game 3 on Thursday night.
Matt Boldy chipped in a goal and an assist, and goaltender Filip Gustavsson turned aside 30 shots in a sharp bounce-back performance by Minnesota.
“We competed the way we needed to,” said Wild head coach John Hynes. “The guys handled pressure, managed the game well, and we got key saves when it mattered.”
Vegas, the top seed from the Pacific Division, got goals from Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl, while goalie Adin Hill stopped 12 shots.
Hanifin opened by praising the team’s early effort. “We started strong, but they capitalized on a few chances. We can learn from this. I thought we had control late but couldn’t finish the comeback.”
First Period Surge
Minnesota opened the scoring at 9:56 of the first when Boldy took a brilliant stretch pass from Kaprizov, shielded off Shea Theodore, and slipped the puck through Hill’s legs on a breakaway.
“That pass was unreal,” said Boldy. “Kirill put it right on my tape. All I had to do was finish.”
Less than two minutes later, Marcus Foligno made it 2-0 by burying a quick centering feed from Ryan Hartman. Mats Zuccarello added a third at 17:15 after a Vegas turnover led to a slick backhand pass from Marcus Johansson, setting up Zuccarello’s glove-side strike.
Kaprizov Piles On
Kaprizov extended the lead to 4-0 early in the second, once again taking advantage of a Vegas miscue and sneaking one past Hill on a 2-on-1.
“They’re playing direct and competitive,” said Hynes of the Kaprizov-Boldy duo. “When skilled guys buy into playoff hockey, they make a big impact.”
Vegas Tries to Rally
Hanifin got Vegas on the board at 12:04 of the second, jumping on a loose puck and firing it glove side past Gustavsson. Hertl made it 4-2 early in the third by tapping in a centering pass from Alex Pietrangelo.
But that’s as close as the Golden Knights would get.
Kaprizov capped the night with an empty-net goal from deep in his own zone at 17:34, sealing the win and a standout three-point night.
“We just played our game,” Foligno said. “We had a good feeling coming in and stuck with it. It’s a great win heading home.”
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