Minnesota Wild beats Knights 5-3 in Vegas, Ek scores two

On Monday night in Las Vegas, Joel Eriksson Ek netted two goals, and Matt Boldy contributed a goal and two assists, leading the Minnesota Wild to a 5-3 triumph over the Vegas Golden Knights. Marco Rossi and Mats Zuccarello also found the back of the net, while Kirill Kaprizov, Brock Faber, and Ryan Hartman each provided two assists for Minnesota, securing their third consecutive victory. Filip Gustavsson made 27 saves, extending the Wild’s road winning streak to four games.

For Vegas, Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault, and Michael Amadio scored goals, with Alex Pietrangelo recording two assists in his 1,000th NHL game. However, the Golden Knights had their four-game home win streak snapped. Goaltender Adin Hill made 24 saves for Vegas.

Vegas quickly took a 1-0 lead within 22 seconds as Marchessault notched his 27th goal of the season. Yet, Minnesota responded, claiming a 2-1 lead in the middle of the first period. Zuccarello leveled the score during a five-on-three power play, firing a one-timer from the right circle. Shortly after, Eriksson Ek backhanded a pass from Boldy past Hill’s right pad.

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The Golden Knights evened the score at 2-2 with a power-play goal at 17:45 of the first, as Amadio’s wrist shot found the net through traffic. Minnesota surged ahead in the third period with two goals in 61 seconds. Rossi capitalized on a rebound, and Boldy’s shot from the right goal line deflected off Hill’s left shoulder.

Vegas cut the deficit to 4-3 in the middle of the period when Stone unleashed a slap shot from the right circle. With the Golden Knights pulling Hill for an extra attacker, Eriksson Ek sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final seconds, securing the 5-3 victory for the Wild.