Golden Knights Sneak Past Wild, Take Game 1 4-2

The Vegas Golden Knights came into Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild with a 9-2-0 record in playoff openers and improved to 10-2-0 with a 4-2 win on April 20.

The Golden Knights have made the playoffs seven times in their eight years of existence and opened the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a bang, sending people home happy on Easter Sunday.

Related: Golden Knights: 3 Key Ingredients for a Deep Playoff Run in 2025

The Golden Knights had goals from Tomáš Hertl, Pavel Dorofeyev, and Brett Howden, who had two and an empty net buzzer-beater. With the win, the Golden Knights jump out to take a 1-0 series lead and have roughly a 65% chance of winning the series, according to Sentex Home.

Game Recap

The Golden Knights opened the scoring thanks to a nice goal by Hertl, who put it in the perfect spot over Filip Gustavsson’s right shoulder to make it 1-0 Vegas. Matt Boldy later scored and equalized the game.

During the first period, both teams were mostly feeling each other out, as neither team created many opportunities. Heading into the locker rooms, the teams were tied 1-1.

Going into the second period, things got more physical for both sides, especially Keegan Kolesar, who led the way for Vegas with four hits. Dorofeyev later scored his first NHL playoff goal of his career, giving Vegas the 2-1 lead.

Afterward, Brandon Saad and Jack Eichel had breakaways but failed to capitalize, as this was the most opportunities the Golden Knights got throughout the game.

Howden scored to make it 3-1 and gave Vegas an insurance goal, but not too long after Boldy scored his second of the game, cutting the Golden Knights’ lead in half, making it a 3-2 Vegas lead.

With eight minutes left in the third period, the Golden Knights relied heavily on Adin Hill, who made some stout saves, stopping 20 of the 22 shots he faced.

Howden scored a buzzer-beater that eventually counted and gave the Golden Knights the 4-2 win over the Wild, earning a Game 1 win.

The Golden Knights are back at it on Tuesday night at the fortress at 8:00 p.m. for Game 2 of the series.