Goals scored by the Wild in the playoffs: six.
Vegas blitzes Wild to take 3-1 lead in playoff series
Wild face elimination after another goal is waved off
May 23, 2021 at 6:18AM
Goals scored by the Wild that actually counted: four.
After having its lead scaled back by a Golden Knights coach's challenge in Game 3, a ruling that made Vegas' comeback a little easier, the Wild again had a tally wiped off the scoreboard during Game 4.
This time, the rewind stung even more.
The Golden Knights blanked the Wild 4-0 on Saturday in front of an announced crowd of 4,500 at Xcel Energy Center to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and force the Wild into a win-or-get-eliminated Game 5 on Monday night at Vegas.
"Maybe having that desperation in our game, just that simplicity going into Vegas, maybe that's what we need," the Wild's Marcus Foligno said.
The Wild, with its first three-game losing streak of the season, team hasn't scored in 111 minutes, 30 seconds.
"I'm confident that we are going to score, including myself," Kevin Fiala said. "I still feel like I'm going to get it done."
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury blocked 35 shots for his 16th career postseason shutout, but it was the one puck that did get behind him that provided his team with a momentum swing.
On the shift after the Golden Knights went up 1-0 on a Nicolas Roy end-to-end goal, the Wild answered on a Joel Eriksson Ek shot through a Foligno screen 10:56 into the first period.
Fleury was right behind Foligno when the goal was scored, and Vegas challenged, claiming goaltender interference. The NHL determined Foligno impaired Fleury's ability to play his position in the crease and overturned the goal.
"Inch further out, inch in. I don't know. It's just a tough call," Foligno said. "Does that stuff take the wind out of your sails a little bit? I think so. But if it's goaltender interference, it's goaltender interference."
The league referenced Rule 69.1, which states goals should be disallowed if an attacking player "impairs the goalkeeper's ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal" through positioning or by contact.
"Do we disagree with it? Sure," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "But nothing we can do about it now."
This was the second straight game in which the Wild — and Eriksson Ek — had a goal disallowed. In Game 2, with the Wild up 2-0, a third goal was taken away after the Golden Knights challenged and the play was deemed offside. Vegas rallied to a 5-2 victory.
"That's something we have to push through," Eriksson Ek said.
In the second period, the Golden Knights ran away from the Wild.
At 9:08, Alex Tuch split the Wild defense before deking around goalie Cam Talbot for his third goal of the first round.
Later in the period, Vegas' Zach Whitecloud high-sticked Zach Parise in Parise's return to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the previous three playoff games. But not only did the Wild fail to capitalize on the ensuing four-minute power play, the team gave up a shorthanded goal.
Mark Stone stuffed a breakaway behind Talbot at 13:41 for his third goal.
"Fleury's been phenomenal," Evason said. "But we were getting the same looks against great goaltenders all year and we were able to score. We're just not finding the net."
Fifteen different players have registered at least a point for Vegas in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Wild was shut out for the 11th time in its postseason history.
Fleury has now stopped 112 of 116 shots in the series.
"You're always frustrated when a goalie is playing like that and playing on his head," Foligno said. "You really can't do much but keep shooting."
For the Wild, four points behind the league-leading Jets, this will be their most anticipated matchup against a division rival since they lost 2-1 to the Stars on Nov. 16.
