ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Vegas Golden Knights are gearing up for a pivotal Game 3 against the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After dropping Game 2 at home with a disappointing 5-2 scoreline, the Knights find themselves in a crucial position as they head to the Xcel Energy Center on Thursday, April 24, 2025, for a 9 p.m. ET puck drop.
Coach Bruce Cassidy, a veteran in the NHL, is confident in his team's ability to rebound from the loss. "These guys have been in enough playoff series to know that it’s a best-of-5 now and Minnesota has home-ice advantage," Cassidy stated. He emphasized the importance of focusing on Game 3 rather than dwelling on past mistakes. The stakes are high; historically, the team that wins Game 3 in a best-of-7 series tied 1-1 goes on to win the series more than two-thirds of the time (386-175; .688).
In Game 2, the Golden Knights fell behind 3-0 in the first period, a deficit that proved too steep to overcome. Despite starting strong with the first five shots of the game, Vegas struggled with puck management, which Cassidy described as "correctable." He noted, "As a coach, you say, 'OK, we fix 10 minutes of puck management, what did they get, what did they get on us?'" The Knights will need to tighten up their play if they hope to reclaim their momentum.
Jack Eichel, center for the Golden Knights, echoed Cassidy's sentiments, insisting that the focus should be on their own performance rather than what Minnesota did in Game 2. "What they got in Game 2, a lot of it was probably self-inflicted," Eichel said. "We just have to make them earn everything they get. Obviously, there is desperation, there is a competitive level that needs to rise from all of us, and we’ll be ready to go tonight."
As the Golden Knights prepare for this crucial matchup, they will look to their star player, Mark Stone, who had an impressive regular season with 67 points in 66 games but has yet to hit the scoresheet in this series. Stone recorded four Grade A scoring chances at five-on-five, tied for the most among all players in the series. The Golden Knights have generated 38 shot attempts and 10 scoring chances with Stone on the ice, yet none have found the back of the net.
Despite the lack of scoring, Cassidy believes Stone will play a key role in turning the tide. "Mark Stone is a big weapon on the man advantage," Cassidy noted, highlighting that the Knights have had limited power play opportunities thus far. With the Wild's disciplined play, having only taken one minor penalty in the series, the Golden Knights are hoping for a shift in that trend. Stone's chances to score could increase if the Wild begin to take more penalties.
In terms of lineup decisions, the Wild will dress the same players from Game 2. Coach John Hynes is sticking with his strategy despite the limited ice time for some of his players. Zeev Buium, a young defenseman, has played just 26 minutes through the first two games and has yet to make a significant impact. Hynes stated, "We don’t take these things lightly, as you can imagine. There’s a lot of different components that go into making a lineup decision. And I think that we liked a lot of our game for the last two games."
One player to watch on the Wild is forward Marcus Foligno, who has been a standout in the series with 23 hits, including a Minnesota playoff record of 12 hits in Game 2. His physical play could be a crucial factor in how the Wild perform in Game 3.
Another key matchup will be how the Golden Knights defend the Wild's top line of Joel Eriksson Ek, Kirill Kaprizov, and Matt Boldy. Kaprizov has been particularly effective, racking up five points (two goals, three assists) in the series, while Boldy scored the first three goals for the Wild. Vegas defenseman Noah Hanifin acknowledged the challenge, saying, "They’re real creative and make a lot of east-to-west plays. They have high-skill players who read off each other well. It’s something we have to be better on them and harder on them, because they drive a lot of their offense."
The Golden Knights, who were 21-13-7 away from home during the regular season, are looking to leverage their road-warrior mentality in this crucial game. Cassidy believes that playing on the road can help narrow a team's focus. "Your focus gets narrowed, that’s just the reality of it," he said, highlighting the psychological advantage of being the visiting team in the playoffs.
As the Golden Knights and Wild prepare for what promises to be an intense Game 3, the atmosphere at the Xcel Energy Center is sure to be electric. Fans will be eager to see if the Knights can bounce back and regain their footing in the series, or if the Wild will continue to build on their momentum from Game 2.
With the puck drop just hours away, both teams are ready to battle for crucial playoff positioning. The Golden Knights will aim to reclaim their series lead, while the Wild look to capitalize on their home-ice advantage. It’s all set up for a thrilling night of hockey.
