Nosek Helps Vegas Get First Regulation Win over Wild, 3-2

LAS VEGAS — Tomas Nosek scored his first goal in nearly a month, Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Tomas Nosek Vegas Golden Knights
Tomas Nosek, Vegas Golden Knights (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Chandler Stephenson and Shea Theodore also scored to help the Golden Knights get their first regulation win against Minnesota in seven tries since joining the league in 2017. It also marked the first time Vegas won three straight at home this season.

Fleury got career win No. 453, one shy of Curtis Joseph for sixth all-time.

Matz Zuccarello and Zach Parise scored for the Wild, and Alex Stalock made 26 saves.

Stalock, who is now 8-3-2 in his last 14 starts, remains one win shy of his career high for Minnesota. The 32-year-old has made 12 of his 17 starts this season on the road.

Zuccarello got the Wild on the board first, with two Golden Knights sitting in the penalty box. Eric Staal’s pass made its way through the crease and Zuccarello finished with a shot past Fleury with 1:14 left in the first period.

Stephenson, acquired from Washington in a trade last month, tied it midway through the second when he fired Mark Stone’s backhand pass during a 2-on-1 rush past Stalock. Stephenson has three goals and two assists with Vegas. In 24 games with the Capitals he had three goals and one assist.

Theodore gave Vegas a 2-1 lead with just 10 seconds left in the period when he gathered Stone’s blueline feed skated in and fired a wrist shot past Stalock.

Vegas Golden Knights Shea Theodore
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore skates with the puck. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

Nosek extended the lead when his knuckle puck went far side over Stalock’s glove and into the top corner, making it 3-1 at 6:16 of the third. It was Nosek’s first goal since Nov. 19, spanning 14 games.

With Stalock pulled, and Wild skating with an extra attacker, Parise cut the deficit to one goal when he tapped the puck in from the side of the net.

NOTES: Wild LW Ryan Donato played in his 100th career game. … Minnesota LW Jason Zucker, the only player raised in Nevada to play in the NHL, was scratched due to a lower-body injury. … Minnesota has played 22 road games of its first 35 games this season – the most road games played in the NHL.

UP NEXT

Wild: Conclude a three-game road trip at Arizona on Thursday night.

Golden Knights: Open a two-game trip at Vancouver on Thursday night.

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W.G. Ramirez, The Associated Press