LAS VEGAS – Coach Dean Evason didn't want a special-teams showdown to break out between the Wild and the Golden Knights, and the outcome of that battle explained why.
Special teams failures bite Wild in second consecutive loss, 6-4 to Golden Knights
The Wild couldn't capitalize on the man-advantage, including a 5-on-3.
December 13, 2021 at 4:44AM
Vegas' power play upstaged the Wild's, which whiffed on three straight chances and five overall in a 6-4 setback on Sunday in front of 18,001 at T-Mobile Arena after the team had its season-long eight-game win streak snapped the previous night.
"We believe that was the difference in the hockey game," Evason said.
Golden Knights captain Mark Stone scored on the power play 4 minutes, 42 seconds into the third period to rebuff a Wild rally that was galvanized just 3:20 earlier when Marcus Foligno tied the game at 4 with his 13th goal of the season.
Alex Pietrangelo tacked on an empty-net goal with 28 seconds left, a season-high sixth goal surrendered by the Wild, and the team split this four-game road trip after suffering back-to-back regulation losses for just the second time this season. On Saturday, the Wild fell 2-1 at Los Angeles to stop its eight-game tear.
The Wild might not have trailed in the third period if it capitalized in the second.
That's when the team had three power plays in a row, including two that overlapped for 1:18 of 5-on-3 time.
This potential momentum swing started after the Golden Knights moved ahead 4-3.
Max Pacioretty split the Wild defense and converted on a breakaway 13:52 into the second for his eighth goal over his last six games.
After the goal, Ryan Hartman and Vegas' Nicolas Hague were both whistled for roughing with Hague also getting penalized for a cross-check.
During that ensuing power play, Pietrangelo was called for slashing Joel Eriksson Ek to give the Wild that lengthy 5-on-3 look. And although the Wild kept the puck in the offensive zone for most of those two power plays, the team didn't take advantage.
"You don't get much going on a 5-on-3 it usually goes in the favor of whoever's shorthanded," said Foligno, who tied Hartman for the most goals on the team while also matching his career high from 2016-17.
Soon after the Golden Knights were back to full strength, the team took another penalty against Eriksson Ek — this time a slash from Zach Whitecloud.
Again, though, the Wild's execution was off, and the team muffed the opportunity to not only tie the game but possibly seize control.
Overall, the Wild power play went 1-for-6 after also blanking on a try in the third period. Vegas goalie Robin Lehner picked up nine of his 23 saves shorthanded. Cam Talbot had 30 saves for the Wild, his first loss in seven starts.
"We could have scored a couple goals there and changed the game, for sure," Mats Zuccarello said.
This duel between power plays started in the first period after both teams scored at even strength.
Whitecloud polished off a slick passing play at 8:53 before Alex Goligoski answered back for the Wild at 13:54, winding up from the slot on a delayed penalty.
Vegas scored next on the power play courtesy an Evgenii Dadonov one-timer with 2:45 to go, but the period finished 2-2 after a last-second goal by Zuccarello on the power play.
The Wild actually moved ahead 3-2 on a rising shot from Nick Bjugstad nine seconds into the second.
Bjugstad's goal tied the franchise record for fastest goal from the start of the second period (Brian Rolston had the other on Nov.30, 2007), but Bjugstad's finish is the quickest to open the second in a road game.
The 10 seconds between the Zuccarello and Bjugstad goals also set a Wild record for fastest two goals on the road, surpassing the 11 seconds between Mattias Weinhandl and Wes Walz tallies on April 15, 2006, at Dallas.
But Whitecloud's second goal of the night at 5:46 evened the score at 3, and the Wild never regained the lead.
"You don't want to trade chances with this team either," Foligno said. "I know we're skilled, too, but they love that game. We gotta play a little bit better, a little bit smarter, a little bit stronger and a full 60 [minutes]."
The Wild are off to one of the best starts in franchise history, and Kirill Kaprizov is tied for the NHL scoring lead.
