Golden Knights take Game 1, defeat Wild 4-2

The Vegas Golden Knights secured their 30th home win of the season with a 4-2 victory in Game 1 of the first-round series against the Minnesota Wild Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena.

The Golden Knights got goals from Tomas Hertl, Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden, and Adin Hill turned aside 18 of 20 shots for a .900 save percentage.

Matt Boldy scored twice for the Wild, who trailed by one late in the third but were unable to net the equalizer.

The Golden Knights never trailed in this game and now lead the best-of-seven series 1-0.

Much of the game was tightly-checked, and it was a low-event contest for most of the first period until Hertl opened the scoring on an outstanding individual effort.

After winning the faceoff, he stripped Brock Faber and then roofed the puck over the shoulder of Filip Gustavsson to give Vegas the 1-0 lead at 15:22.

WHO WANTS IT MORE THAN TOMAS HERTL????? pic.twitter.com/BH0wkCxQae But less than two minutes later, Kirill Kaprizov sent a cross-seam pass to Boldy, who beat Hill to even things up at 1-1.

HOLY MOLY! The vision from Kirill Kaprizov on this goal is ridiculous #StanleyCup : @espn https://t.co/ybuZDYvoTH : @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/VCQvRWuMc7 Vegas scored the lone goal of the middle frame after getting the first power play of the series.

The Golden Knights didnt waste much time, as it took just six seconds for the NHLs second-ranked power play to convert.

Hertl won the draw and went to the net to set the screen while Shea Theodore skated along the blue line.

Theodore faked the shot to freeze Gustavsson before finding Dorofeyev, who one-timed the puck into the empty net.

Dorofeyevs first career playoff goal gave Vegas the 2-1 lead at 13:33.

FROZE 'EM #StanleyCup : @espn https://t.co/ybuZDYvoTH : @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/mJqrOwuRJD The Golden Knights had two breakaways in the second period but failed to capitalize on either.

Brandon Saad hit the crossbar, and Jack Eichel was unable to elevate his backhand over Gustavsson, who stayed with him the whole way.

HUGE SAVE FOR THE BUS pic.twitter.com/0Lgoe8yywD The Wild had a number of good chances, including an especially dangerous look by Marco Rossi shortly after Vegas go-ahead goal.

But Hill was very sharp in the second, shutting down all seven shots he faced to maintain the 2-1 lead through 40 minutes.

The Golden Knights extended that lead less than three minutes into the third on Howdens first of the postseason.

Nicolas Roy held onto the puck to draw Wild defenseman Zach Bogosian to the middle of the zone before finding Howden.

Howden took advantage of the open lane and beat Gustavsson short-side above the shoulder, much like Hertl in the first period.

CERTIFIED BRETT HOWDEN BEAUTY pic.twitter.com/bQfcz83eh8 The Wild got their first power play 7:13 into the third period, but Hill made two massive saves to help Vegas get the critical kill and maintain the two-goal edge.

However, the Kaprizov-Boldy combination struck again in the second half of the frame.

It was a broken play, as Kaprizovs initial shot got blocked, but Boldy picked up the puck behind the net and proceeded to score on the wraparound.

Hill was slow to get across, and Vegas couldnt get a stick on the puck before it crossed the goal line.

MATT BOLDY DOUBLES DOWN It's now a one-goal game! #StanleyCup : @espn https://t.co/ybuZDYvoTH : @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/F7h6EGygfu Vegas made it difficult for Minnesota to pull the goalie, but the Wild called timeout and got Gustavsson to the bench with 1:22.

The Wild had control in Vegas end, but William Karlsson made a strong defensive play to cut off Zeev Buiums pass to the boards.

On his way up the ice, Karlsson was hauled down by Boldy before scoring on the empty net, giving Vegas a late power play.

Gustavsson eventually made his way back to the bench with 20 seconds left, but the Golden Knights were able to hold off any final attempt.

Howden hit the empty-net with a buzzer-beater for his second of the game and the 4-2 final.

More to come ..

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