By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Just the facts: Minnesota Wild 4 Vegas Golden Knights 2
Shots on goal: VGK 40 Wild 14
VGK goal scorers: Mark Stone, Alec Martinez
Series: VGK 3 games Wild 2 games
Takeaway: Golden Knights have not closed out a playoff series at home
Next game: In St. Paul at 6 PM Vegas time Wednesday
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Mark Stone scored in the first period and the hockey arena’s fans erupted with a collective primal roar not heard in more than 15 months because of a brutal novel coronavirus pandemic.
The Vegas Golden Knights had more than 12,000 rowdy, insane fans in the building and you heard all of them when Stone snapped a wrist shot past Minnesota Wild goaltender Cam Talbot 8:14 into period one of Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena Monday evening.
It was a strange but welcome sound — a mighty blast of emotions to celebrate a 1-0 lead and a hopeful wish that the Golden Knights can close out this first round series and face the Colorado Avalanche in round two. The Knights have Clark County’s permission to fill the venue to 70 percent of capacity — 12,156 fans in an arena with 17,367 fixed seats.
But the Wild would have nothing of it. Minnesota scored three straight goals against shaky VGK netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, with the Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov (the rookie-of-the-year favorite), Zach Parise and Jordan Greenway all scoring their first goals of the series to give the Wild a 3-1 lead after the first 20 minutes.
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The Golden Knights climbed back into this game on the power play, when defenseman Alex Pietrangelo fed Alec Martinez, who slammed home a goal with a one-timer.
And at 9:43 into the middle stanza, the Knights were down, 3-2.
Vegas dominated on defense, limiting Minnesota to no shots well into the second half of the period.
With eight minutes left in the second period, the VGK were outshooting the Wild, 21-7.
The Knights outshot Minnesota by a stunning 22-1 in the second period, which ended with the Wild hanging on to a 3-2 lead.
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The Knights dominated the third period.
They outshot Minnesota, 40-14, overall but the Wild ended up with two more goals.
And empty-netter in the final minute sealed the Wild’s Game 5 win. For the record, Nico Sturm scored with Pietrangelo crashing into the VGK net trying to stop the puck.
Final: Minnesota 4 Golden Knights 2.
Off to Game 6 in St. Paul, Minnesota Wednesday.
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It was 5PM, a full two and a half hours before the 7:30PM puck drop for the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild and the fans were already gathering in front of T-Mobile Arena. The DJ was blasting tunes and ol’ reliable, Matt Hefst the chess-playing flag guy, was in full flag-waving mode.
So many VGK jerseys bearing the 29 number of Fleury, who is relishing a bounce-back season after enduring a back-up goalie role in last season’s postseason bubble, were scattered all over the plaza that serves a Las Vegas Strip town square between the 17,367-seat arena, the NY NY and Park MGM hotel-casinos and the NY NY parking garage.
This Minnesota team has haunted the Golden Knights during their first four seasons in the National Hockey League. But my have the tables turned. After losing a gut-wrenching 1-0 overtime decision on home ice, the Knights have reeled off three straight wins, including the last two in St. Paul.
More than 12,000 insane fans came away are disappointed. But it was the biggest indoor crowd in Las Vegas in the 15 months since a worldwide novel coronavirus virus killed nearly 600,000 Americans. LVSportsBiz.com learned this afternoon that Clark County government granted permission for the Golden Knights to have a capacity of 12,156 fans for tonight’s game 5.
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Fleury looked shaky. He has been brilliant this series leading into the game, coming off a 35-save shutout Saturday.
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In other playoff action: (Edmonton is swept)