The end did not come without a fight for the Minnesota Wild. But it was an ending, nonetheless.
Facing elimination in Game 6 of their first-round series with Vegas, the Wild were unable to play with a lead — which was critical in these half-dozen games — and fell 3-2 on Thursday, with the Golden Knights claiming the series 4-2.
Vegas star forward Jack Eichel scored his first playoff goal at a critical time, snapping a second-period tie, as the Golden Knights won the final three games of the series to advance for the first time since their Stanley Cup win in 2023. Mark Stone added an insurance goal for the Knights with just under 4 minutes left in regulation as they held off the Wild’s late charge.
Ryan Hartman scored both goals for Minnesota, which has lost its past three playoff series in six games after leading all of them 2-1. Filip Gustavsson had 20 saves for Minnesota, which last won a first-round playoff series in 2015.
Adin Hill was the difference-maker as the Wild made a desperate third period push, as the Knights goalie had 29 saves in the win.
The season-long story about penalty-kill struggles added another chapter before the game was 5 minutes old, when Marco Rossi drew a double minor for high sticking on his first shift of the game. Vegas used the man advantage to forge an early lead on Shea Theodore’s wrist shot from the blue line.
With 20 seconds left in the opening period, the Wild had the puck behind their own net and looked, briefly, like they might be content to run out the clock and get to the first intermission. Instead, they initiated one final rush up ice, which ended noisily, when Hartman sent a shot through a crowd, tying the game with 4 seconds left in the first.
It was the first goal of the playoffs for Hartman, who had four assists in the first five games, and famously had a potential game-winner taken away in Game 5 when replay showed the team entered the offensive zone offside.
Minnesota made a strong push early in the second but could not take the lead, controlling the play for much of a two-minute man advantage without a breakthrough.
Instead, it was Vegas grabbing the momentum and the lead late in the period. Eichel, who had been held without a goal in the series’ first five games as the Knights’ top line struggled, got a breakaway after a lead pass from Stone that was just out of reach of Kirill Kaprizov’s desperate attempt to swat it away. Eichel’s low shot beat Gustavsson on the glove side.
But Minnesota refused to go quietly in the third, making push after push early in the period as Vegas seemed content to sit back, play defense and ice the puck when they could. Matt Boldy had a wide-open shot from the low slot only to have the puck poked away. A minute or so later, Hartman came in all alone after a set-up pass, but Hill made the save.
After Stone knocked a puck out of the air and past Gustavsson for a 3-1 lead, Hartman potted a tap-in from the side of the net just 21 seconds later to make it a one-goal game again. Hartman had a potential hat trick at his feet, but could not get a shot off following a rebound that was loose in the crease with 2:40 left.
The Wild sent Gustavsson to the bench with two minutes remaining.
The Wild went with the same lineup as Game 5, most notable for the return of Gustavsson, after he exited the previous contest after 40 minutes in with an illness. There was some speculation of potential defensive changes following the coverage gaffe that led to the Knights’ overtime winner, but coach John Hynes stuck with the status quo.
Vegas made a change at forward with Pavel Dorofeyev, their top goal scorer, missing from the lineup for the first time this season. He had played all 82 regular season games and the first five in the playoffs, but suffered an undisclosed injury late in Game 5.
Vegas, which won the Pacific Division, will host the winner of the first-round series between Los Angeles and Edmonton.
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