New additions look like aces as Wild win in Vegas

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LAS VEGAS – On the first day of the rest of the season for the new-look Minnesota Wild, they came to the desert and started a winning streak.

Versus a Vegas team that had ended their season a year ago, the Wild put three of their new acquisitions on the ice and put together and lineup that was good for a 4-2 win on Friday at T-Mobile Arena.

Minnesota got goals from Mats Zuccarello, Zach Bogosian, Vladimir Tarasenko and newcomer Michael McCarron in a span of just over three minutes in the middle frame on the way to their second win of the week. In the other end of the rink, goalie Filip Gustavsson was outstanding, turning away 30 of 32 Golden Knights shots as the Wild swept the season series with Vegas.

Minnesota Wild defenseman Jake Middleton, left, and Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) fight during the second period of an NHL hockey game Friday, March 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Both goalies were busy early, with Gustavsson stopping a Colton Scissons breakaway in the opening minutes, and Kaprizov blasting a shot off the goalpost near the midway point of the first.

Minnesota had the only power play of the opening 20 minutes, and needed about one more second to get the game’s first goal, as Matt Boldy poked a rebound past the Knights’ goalie just an instant after the first period clock expired.

The heat turned up in the second, with a few post-whistle scrums, then a full-on fight between Wild defenseman Jake Middleton and Knights winger Keegan Kolesar which earned each of them a five-minute timeout.

A Knights mistake finally opened the door for the Wild to get on the board, when Vegas defenseman Noah Hanafin made a blind pass at the blue line that spring Zuccarello for a breakaway goal. Then the roof caved in on Vegas over the next three minutes.

Minnesota doubled the lead quickly when Bogosian blasted a shot from the top of the circle through a crowd and in. Just 18 seconds later it was 3-0, when McCarron’s long shot sailed past the Vegas goalie’s blocker.

It was the sixth goal of the season for McCarron, and his first in a Wild uniform since being acquired from Nashville earlier in the week.

Vegas spoiled Gustavsson’s shutout bid early in the third with a Pavel Dorofeyev goal on their first power play of the game. Tarasenko countered with the Wild’s final score of the game at 15:42, with Mitch Marner adding one more for the hosts just over a minute later.

Minnesota was without second line winger Marcus Johansson, who was hurt in their Tuesday night home win versus Tampa Bay. He did not make the trip and is day to day with an upper body injury. Brink took Johansson’s place with Joel Eriksson Ek at center and Matt Boldy on the other wing.

The Wild visit Colorado on Sunday for a 1 p.m. CT opening faceoff versus the Avalanche.

Briefly

This was the Knights’ first home game since the three-week Olympic break, so they took a moment to honor their players that had competed in Milan. While honoring Vegas gold medal winner Jack Eichel from Team USA, they also acknowledged the Wild’s three American players along with Wild coach John Hynes and general manager Bill Guerin.

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Boys hockey: Moorhead takes down Edina, heads to Class AA title game

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Tyden Bergeson and the Moorhead Spuds are one win away from back-to-back state titles.

The senior forward and Mr. Hockey finalist finally got his team on the board when he scored with 15:55 remaining in the third period Friday night to break a scoreless deadlock. Moorhead then added two more goals down the stretch to beat Edina 3-1 in a Class 2A state semifinal at Grand Casino Arena.

The Spuds (26-3-1) take on Minnetonka (26-2-2) at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Skippers defeated Rosemount 4-3 in overtime in Friday’s other semifinal.

Minnetonka handed Moorhead one of its only three losses, winning 4-2 when the two teams met in the regular season on Dec. 20.

The Spuds and Edina met in the Class 2A semifinals last season, a game Moorhead won 4-3, and again in this season’s opener on Nov. 21 – a game the Spuds won 6-3.

Friday, though, neither team got on the board through the first two periods. Moorhead junior Max Cullen appeared to break the stalemate with 4:42 to play in the second, but the goal was disallowed on review.

The Spuds had a 4-on-3 advantage to end the second period and at the start of the third. That expired, but on the four-on-four with another delayed penalty on Edina resulting in an extra attacker, Bergeson scored to put his team in front.

Junior Zac Zimmerman and senior Michael Herman followed with goals of their own. Edina got a late goal from senior Alex White with 1:15 remaining, but it is Moorhead returning to the 2A title game. The Spuds defeated Stillwater 7-6 for the first state championship in program history a year ago.

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Men”s hockey: Tommies avoid upset in CCHA playoffs

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The St. Thomas men’s hockey team had to rally to avoid being upset by Lake Superior State in the opening game of the CCHA Mason Cup quarterfinals on Friday night at the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena in St. Paul.

Caige Sterzer and Ryan O’Neill staked the second-seeded Tommies (19-11-5) to a 2-0 lead after one period. However, the seventh-seeded Lakers (11-21-3) stormed back for three goals in the middle frame.

The score remained 3-2 in favor of the visitors until O’Neill recorded his second tally of the night at 11:50 of the third to send the game into overtime, where Chase Cheslock saved the game for the hosts with the game-winning tally at 7:51 of the first added session.

St. Thomas goalkeeper Carsen Musser made 22 saves, while Lakers netminder Rorke Applebee was busy with a 36-save performance.

The two teams take the ice for Game 2 at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Anderson Arena. If necessary, a deciding Game 3 is slated for 5 p.m. Sunday.

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Men’s hockey: Gophers upend Spartans in shootout

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Rising from the ashes of a 7-1 loss to Michigan State Thursday night, the Gophers men’s hockey defeated the Spartans in a shootout after forging a 3-3 tie with the second-ranked team in the nation inside the 3M Arena at Mariucci on Friday.

Minnesota (12-21-2 overall, 8-15-1 Big Ten) took the initial lead on a goal by Brodie Ziemer at 6:11 of the first period. However, Michigan State (25-8-1, 16-7-1) countered with the next three scores to take a 3-2 advantage at 4:34 of the third period.

However, the Gophers climbed out of the hole to forge a tie on goals by Beckett Hendrickson and Mason Moe to send the game to a scoreless overtime session and a shootout to wrap up the regular season.

Minnesota’s Mooney and Javon Moore scored in the shootout, with Moore’s second-round tally standing as the winner as Gophers goaltender Luca Di Pasquo turned away MSU’s final two shootout efforts to secure the victory.

Di Pasquo, who made 30 saves, didn’t start the game as senior Zach Wiese played the first 99 seconds of the contest. Wiese made the team’s first save before giving way between the pipes on Senior Night.

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