What We Learned About the Minnesota Wild in Dominant Game Three Win Over Vegas

By    |  
Updated:
Follow Us
Kirill Kaprizov celebrates his second goal - NHL Playoffs - Vegas Golden Knights at Minnesota Wild
Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Wild flew back to St. Paul for game three of their first round playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights, after tying things up 1-1 in game two back in Sin City.

With home-ice advantage now in hand, the objective for the Wild back at home was to keep that advantage while back in the Twin Cities with two home wins and a chance to clinch back in Vegas for game 5. Or course, there’s a lot of work to do before then.

What We Learned – Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights (Gm 3)

Kirill Kaprizov - NHL Playoffs - Vegas Golden Knights at Minnesota Wild
Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The Golden Knights are one of the best teams in the NHL for a reason and they aren’t about to hand this series lead over to the Wild without making them earn it. Through the first two periods, however, the Minnesota Wild played like they wanted it more than Vegas did.

For most of game three, the Wild were far and away the better team and they were rewarded in their effort with a 5-2 victory and a 2-1 series lead entering the weekend. So, here’s what we learned about the Minnesota Wild in a huge game three victory over the Vegas Golden Knights. Reminder: The Wild have not advanced in the NHL Playoffs since the 2003-04 season.

Kirill “Jesus” Kaprizov

Easter came and went this year like normal for most of the Christian world. Some went to church, others celebrated with a bunny. But for the Minnesota Wild, “he has risen” takes on a new meaning in 2025.

Because this is the year that Kirill Kaprizov has risen from the injury ashes to come back and save the Wild and their fanbase from decades of fire and torture. After banking 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) in the first two games in Sin City, Kaprizov returned to Xcel Energy Center on Thursday hungry for more.

Yes, the Wild came out skating like chicken with their heads cut off. The entire team brought the energy from puck drop. Yet, when the first goal horn sounded, guess who set it off. Yup, Kirill Kaprizov yet again. Better yet, the primary assist went to rookie defenseman Zeev Buium on the power play.

If we have been reminded of anything during the first three games played so far in this series, it’s just how different this team is when they have their Russian superstar on the ice. Not only does Kirill do everything at an extremely high level, but he also allows his teammates to play in secondary roles they are much more comfortable in. That, in turn, makes the Minnesota Wild that much better, as a whole.

Related: What We Learned About the Minnesota Wild in Nerve-Wracking Game Two Win vs Vegas

Of course, Kirill Kaprizov wasn’t about to stop at one goale. Fast forward into the second period, with the Minnesota Wild leading 3-1 and the second intermission just seconds away, Ryan Hartman found Kirill’s stick near the net, which is never a good thing for opposing goaltenders.

The MN Wild need to play Marco Rossi more…

Heading into game three of this series, there was one player on the Minnesota Wild whose playoff role, to this point, made no sense. Marco Rossi ranked in the top three for the Wild this season in points, goals and assists. Without him, it’s very likely they would not have made the playoffs, period.

But in games one and two, Rossi totalled 12 and 9 minutes of TOI, respectively. It was just the latest showing of disrespect from Wild decision makers, when it comes to their 23-year-old Austrian centerman, who president of hockey operations Bill Guerin has been trying to trade for most of the past three seasons.

Well on Thursday, Marco Rossi didn’t see a ton more ice time than what he got in the first two games of this series, but it didn’t matter. When he was on the ice, the former No. 9 overall draft pick was making a positive impact on the game. He scored the Wild’s third goal of the contest, and assisted on Kirill Kaprizov’s second goal.

I’m not the hockey guy I wish I was, so maybe I am missing something. But it sure seems like Marco Rossi has proven himself as one of the best nine forwards playing for the Minnesota Wild. Hopefully, John Hynes and Billy G figure that out before game four because the more ice time we can get for Rossi, the better. Just like the other most talented players on roster.

The Minnesota Wild are better than the Vegas Golden Knights

Their stars came to play yet again, and outside of one Devan Dubnyk-style “how did that go in” goal allowed by Filip Gustavsson, the Wild were solid in every other phase of the game. That’s why, at the end of two periods, Minnesota held a commanding 4-1 lead.

Related: Minnesota Wild Recall Young Goalie for Playoffs

But instead of the Vegas Golden Knights mounting a high-pressure comeback in the third period, it was the Minnesota Wild who applied most of the pressure during the last 20 minutes of game three. Sure, Vegas netted an unfortunate short-handed goal, after the Wild got a little too excited trying to pot another one on the other end, and they made the last 8 minutes of game three way more difficult than it had to be, just because they couldn’t stop committing penalties.

For most of this contest on Thursday, though, it was Minnesota who held control, just like they did for most of games one and two. They have the better star talent, in Kaprizov and Boldy. So far, they’ve had by far the best goalie too. Gustavsson stopped another 30-of-32 shots in game three. All this begs the question… has it become clear through three games of this series that the Wild have the better team?

Remember, Vegas came into the first round as heavy favorites. Not only did they win a Stanley Cup just two years ago, but the Golden Knights have advanced deep into the postseason four times since the franchise was conceived before the 2017-18 NHL season.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild have not advanced beyond the first round since 2003-04. Maybe that’s why it feels dangerous to start crowning the Wild as the best team in this series. But at the end of the day, I have to report on what my eyes tell me.

Mentioned in this article:

More About:
0What do you think?Post a comment.