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

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NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Minnesota Wild at Vegas Golden Knights
Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Wild came into game two of their first round Western Conference playoff series already trailing the Vegas Golden Knights 1-0, following a gut-wrenching game one loss on Sunday.

But the Wild still went into game two with their main objective for the first road trip of this series still in sight. Steal the Golden Knights’ home-ice advantage in Sin City, before going back to God’s country for games three and four.

They needed their stars to shine and Filip Gustavsson to be the game’s best goalie, in order to complete the mission. And in the first period, they got all three of those things and then some, taking a 3-0 lead before the game got to its initial intermission, even stretching it to 4-0 early in the second period.

What We Learned – Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights (Gm 2)

Kirill Kaprizov - Stanley Cup Playoffs -Minnesota Wild at Vegas Golden Knights
Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

But from there, the Minnesota Wild were holding on for dear life through much of the final two periods. In periods two and three, they managed to put only FOUR total shots on goal, not counting Kaprizov’s empty netter, a spin-around wrister from Salt Lake City (see below) that put the game away 5-2.

For much of the third period, though, this contest was one Golden Knights goal away from getting way too close for comfort, especially given how badly Vegas outplayed the Wild beyond the first period. So, here’s what we learned about the Minnesota Wild in their game two win over Vegas.

Filip Gustavsson was that guy in game two

But while the skaters in front of him struggled with consistency through 60 minutes, Filip Gustavsson remained steady and sturdy in net all night, a performance the Wild needed in order to win game two.

Gus Bus stopped 30 of Vegas’ 32 shots (.938 save %) and came up with huge saves that thwarted the Knights’ momentum multiple times. Right before Kirill’s game-sealing cross-ice empty-netter, Gustavsson made a sneaky good save that kept the game 4-2 and pushed the puck to Kaprizov along the boards.

The only way the Golden Knights have been able to sneak pucks past the Swede netminder, so far in this series, is via one-timer goals where he’s not squared up with the shooter.

Related: What We Learned About the Minnesota Wild in Ref-Assisted Playoff Loss vs Vegas

Take Vegas’ second goal of game two, for example, where Tomas Hertl found a sliver of open space in front of the goal crease, where he was able to easily deflect Terrangelo’s beautiful pass from nearly behind the goal, and into the back of the net.

MN Wild stars continue to shine early in this series

If there is one thing that is becoming more and more clear, as this series heats up, it’s that the Minnesota Wild might have the best two players on the ice, in Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, who were responsible for three of the five goals in game two, along with five of the team’s total 10 points.

Kaprizov scored two goals, but it was his one assist — a beautiful 30-foot saucer pass — that landed perfectly on Boldy’s stick that sprung him for the game’s first goal that had everyone talking postgame. Matt Boldy called it the best pass he has ever received.

We were hoping that the Matt Boldy + Kirill Kaprizov connection would grow into something like what we have seen so fart in these playoffs. But hope does not make reality, so to see it play out in front of our very own eyes still feels somewhat unbelievable.

Assuming the Wild get Kaprizov under a long-term contract this offseason, we are going to be watching these two paly hockey together for the next 5-10 years, at least. And if they continue to make plays like what we have seen thought two games this postseason, that’s going to be one hell of a treat for the State of Hockey.

They’re doing it to Marco Rossi again…

This Marco Rossi thing is getting weird. I understand that he is undersized, which does not usually play well in the postseason. But we’re talking about a top five talent on your depth chart, and in game two, the Minnesota Wild had him buried on the FOURTH LINE with Justin Brazeau and Yakov Trenin. Only Brazeau skated less minutes Tuesday night than Rossi’s 9:27 TOI. He skated just 12 minutes in game one.

As a reminder, Marco Rossi racked up 60 points (24 goals, 36 assists) during the regular season. Those statistical totals ranked 2nd, 3rd and 2nd on the Minnesota Wild, respectively. With Kirill Kaprizov hurt much of the second half of the season, only Matt Boldy was more important to what the Wild did offensively than Rossi.

And now… he’s skating less than anyone else on the team, which just makes absolutely no sense. It’s not like Gustav Nyquist or Freddy Gaudreau are bonafide stars getting ice time ahead of Rossi. Could it be a faceoff problem?

Related: Bill Guerin Wants Some “F*** You” in Marco Rossi’s Game

Well Marco Rossi won 50% of his faceoffs Tuesday, in only four opportunities. During the regular season, Rossi took over 1,000 faceoffs, winning 47% of them. Meanwhile, Gaudreau won just three of his eleven faceoff attempts in game two, after coming out victorious in 48% of faceoffs during the 2024-25 regular season.

Maybe it’s a lack of size or physicality… who knows. But whatever it is, the powers that be in St. Paul do not like how the 23-year-old‘s game translates in the NHL Playoffs.When asked about his young center, Guerin told reporters Wednesday morning that Marco just needs more NHL seasoning before he’s ready for playoff hockey…

This all brings us back to why Rossi continues to be involved in trade speculation, even when he seems to do everything the Minnesota Wild ask of him.

Just when we thought Billy Guerin and John Hynes might finally be over their distaste for Marco Rossi’s game, the playoffs start and they are forced to show their true colors. We’ll see if he’s relegated to fourth line duties again in game three, or if Wild coaches are going to find a way to better utilize the kid’s talent.

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