Vegas Golden Knights Down Minnesota Wild 3-2 in Overtime

The Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild battled through a playoff-intensity game on Wednesday night, with the VGK winning 3-2 in overtime on an Alex Pietrangelo goal at 1:53 of the extra session.

For Marc-Andre Fleury, the win was his 490th career victory placing him third all-time among NHL goaltenders and breaking the tie with Roberto Luongo.

Vegas lost a 1-0 in the third period when Kirill Kaprisov scored twice to give Minnesota the win, but Vegas came back with a power-play goal from Reilly Smith and then Pietrangelo notching the game-winner in OT.

Golden Grades

Goaltending – B

Marc-Andre Fleury had to thank his posts three times on the night, but got the job done. Another solid outing from the Vegas Golden Knights anchor in net.

Defense – B

It felt like a bend-but-don’t-break performance from the D tonight, but it hurts to blow a 1-0 lead in the third and find yourself down a goal. Mind you, Alex Pietrangelo scores the winner in OT, and holding Kaprisov at bay simply isn’t possible every night. In fact, his goal batting the puck out of the air is one of the best skill plays you’re going to see. Overall, they did enough to win.

Forwards – B-

The chances seemed to be there, but I’d love to see more quality chances. The Wild tried to push the VGK around but it didn’t work, and credit the team for being able to stand up for themselves.

Special Teams – A

Once again, a power-play goal (at a huge time) and a perfect penalty kill. What else could you ask for?

The Takeaways

• Congratulations to Marc-Andre Fleury on reaching third place all-time in wins. You cannot overstate how important he is to this team on and off the ice. Fleury is a Golden Knight for life, and he still loves playing. I hope fans truly cherish what they’re watching this season and for the last several seasons.
• Blowing the lead once again, but this time coming back and winning is important. There no longer is a chance for a mental roadblock about the Wild. They’re beatable when you’re behind. They didn’t push you around. Kudos to the VGK for making it happen.
• Vegas is now 8-0 in overtime decisions this season. That’s an incredible mark and really important when it comes to the ROW tiebreak. Those wins are massive right now.
• The Wild tried to get physical, but simply couldn’t get in the VGK heads. Congratulations I’m Sorry to Nic Hague on his first NHL fight.
• Milestones in the game included Mark Stone’s 500th NHL game, Jonathan Marchessault’s 400th NHL game, and Marcus Foligno’s 600th NHL game.