For the first 20 minutes the Wild played a near flawless game and for a brief moment it appeared that they had Vegas in the ropes when Joel Eriksson Ek scored what would have been his second of the period. That was all erased when Golden Knights coach, Pete DeBoer challenged the play for offside, and the goal was taken back.
The first period ended with the Wild in complete control and holding a two goal lead. Fast forward tobthe second period where it was Vegas that played a near perfect period en route to a three goal middle frame to take a 3-2 lead into the third.
Vegas thwarted the Wild push through most of the final period and all the Wild could muster was a couple of near misses before the Golden Knights sealed the deal with a 5-2 victory. The Vegas win was their first in regulation at the XCEL Energy Center in their four year history.
For the Wild, there are some positives to take from the contest, however at this time of the year it is all about the wins and the Wild now trail the series two games to one and have given back the home ice to the Golden Knights.
Marcus Johansson was injured in the first period and after the game, Dean Evason said "it did not look good" so we can expect to see at least one lineup change for game four. Now that remains to be seen who does draw into the lineup and if it is Zach Parise or not.
UPDATE: Marcus Johansson is out with a broken arm suffered in last night's Wild loss.
The possibility of Matt Boldy making his NHL debut is also a very intriguing possibility. Either way Johansson, who has struggled lately, and quite honestly had he not gotten hurt may have been replaced regardless.
Penalties were another issue for the Wild despite the fact that the PK was a perfect five for five the wear and tear on the penalty killers took its toll and the end result was the 5 unanswered goals that Vegas hung on the Wild.
There was a moment in the second period where it all appeared to be heading south for the Wild and that was the ensuing face off following the first Vegas goal, scored by Mark Stone. Right off that draw, Wild defenseman, Carson Soucy lost his edge as the puck was heading in his direction. That led to several dynamite chances for the Golden Knights, and if not for some spectacular saves by Cam Talbot, the second period could have really gotten out of hand.
Minnesota never fully recovered from that series and it was predominantly Vegas controlling the game from that point forward. The Wild did have a couple of near misses, but there was very little sustained pressure from the guys in Green.
Dean Evason and his staff will be watching the tape and making the necessary adjustments. Tomorrow is enormous for the Wild and they absolutely know they can compete with the Golden Knighrs, however it will take at least three periods of the effort we witnessed in the first 20 minutes last night.