Vegas, we have a problem. The Minnesota Wild have seized a 2-1 series lead over the Vegas Golden Knights after another emphatic 5-2 win in St. Paul on Tuesday night, taking firm control of a series that is quickly slipping away from the Pacific Division champions.
The Golden Knights have looked nothing like themselves through three games, failing to live up to the expectations they came into this series with.
Related: Wild’s Top Line Leads Way in 5-2 Win Over Golden Knights in Game 3
Despite still being favored to win the series, the Golden Knights will need to make significant changes to prevent being bounced out of Round 1 for the second-consecutive season.
With back-to-back 5-2 losses, there’s plenty to dissect, and most of it isn’t pretty. Here are three thoughts as the Golden Knights head into a pivotal Game 4 on Saturday afternoon.
1: The Kaprizov & Boldy Problem
Heading into the series, the biggest threat on the Wild was Russian superstar Kirill Kaprizov, who is one of the best in the league when he’s on. The same would be true for his partner in crime, Matt Boldy, who has completely taken the Golden Knights by storm in the first three games.
“It always feels good when you win games,” Kaprizov said. “We don’t care now who scored and who has how many points and whatever. You just want to win games. Just have a team game.” (from Kaprizov, Boldy shine again, Wild chase Golden Knights’ goalie in Game 3 victory: Takeaways, The Athletic, 4/24/25).
The pair have combined for eight of the team’s 12 goals and have 13 points between them. They’ve been the heart of the Wild’s offense and have taken off with seemingly nothing stopping them.
The Golden Knights have yet to figure out how to handle the duo. They have carved up the Golden Knights’ defenseman all too easily in this series and are a legitimate threat each time they’re on the ice.
“They’re just unpredictable,” Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin said of Kaprizov and Boldy. “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.” (from Kaprizov, Boldy shine again, Wild chase Golden Knights’ goalie in Game 3 victory: Takeaways, The Athletic, 4/23/25).
If the Golden Knights want to stand any chance during the rest of the series, they’ll need a plan to stop Kaprizov and Boldy or, at the very least, limit them.
2: Jack Eichel & Mark Stone Failing to Produce
Jack Eichel had a career year in Vegas this season, notching 28 goals and 94 points, doing what many thought he’d do with the Buffalo Sabres. In the playoffs, though, he’s practically been invisible with zero points in three games.
The same can be said for Mark Stone, who also has no points through the series’ first three games. When two of the team’s biggest stars aren’t producing when you need them most, it’s usually a sign things aren’t going well, and that’s exactly the case here.
“They’re elite, world-class players and they’ve got to get going,” Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy said of his top line. “To me, there’s a little bit of, ‘Hey, you know what? The other team’s top guys are all over the (score) sheet. It’s time.'” (From ‘Golden Knights need Jack Eichel, Mark Stone to step up as Wild’s stars shine’ – The Athletic, 4/23/2025)
The time is now. The Wild have the chance to go up 3-1 which would be not ideal in the slightest for the Golden Knights, who would be in a deep hole if they lose Game 4.
3: Time to Hit the Panic Button?
The question is: it time to hit the panic button? Vegas saw themselves in a similar situation last year when they were down 3-2 to the Dallas Stars. They eventually lost that series in seven games and were eliminated in the first round after winning the Stanley Cup the year before.
The Wild have plenty of momentum right now, there’s no doubt about it, but this isn’t an impossible task for the Golden Knights. This isn’t the be-all and end-all as they have momentum of their own — they just have to start acting like it.
However, they need to show more urgency. They have made far too many blunders that you can’t make in the playoffs, especially against a dangerous team like the Wild.
Game 4 is going to say a lot about this Golden Knights team. We will see whether they are made for this or not. Puck drop for Game 4 is set for 1:00 p.m. PDT.
