3 takeaways: Early miscues cost Knights in Game 2 setback — PHOTOS
Hockey games are always decided by 18 skaters and a goaltender. It’s rare a specific player is the reason a team wins or loses.
But Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore had a rough night Tuesday.
Four Theodore errors led to four Minnesota Wild goals and the Knights lost 5-2 at T-Mobile Arena. The defeat evened the first-round playoff series between the two teams 1-1.
It was an uncharacteristic night for Theodore, an Original Misfit who scored a career-high 57 points this season despite missing time with a broken wrist. But the Wild capitalized on each of his mistakes, giving the team enough of a cushion to survive a Knights comeback.
“He was trying to do too much out there,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We’ve got to do a better job giving him the information (on) what the other team is doing, but he’s a pretty smart player. He sees what’s going on out there.”
Minnesota took a 4-0 lead on left wing Kirill Kaprizov’s goal 3:59 into the second period. Defenseman Noah Hanifin and center Tomas Hertl scored to cut the Knights’ deficit to 4-2, but the team got no closer.
Kaprizov finished off the Wild’s win with an empty-net goal. Game 3 is 6 p.m. Thursday at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The Knights talked about wanting to play a better first period than they did in Game 1, a 4-2 victory for them on home ice.
They were sharp for the first five minutes Tuesday. They had the game’s first five shots and spent a lot of time in the offensive zone.
Minnesota was then able to settle the game down. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson kept the Knights from getting on the board and allowed his team to find its footing.
Right wing Matt Boldy, who scored both of the Wild’s goals in Game 1, struck again 9:56 into the first period to give his team a 1-0 lead. He got behind Theodore, received a stretch pass from Kaprizov and beat goaltender Adin Hill, who allowed four goals on 16 shots.
MATT BOLDY SCORES AGAIN 🚨
And what an insane pass from Kirill Kaprizov to start the play! #StanleyCup
🇺🇸: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/m0LyTCHYnH
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/petGcYAwyF— NHL (@NHL) April 23, 2025
That was just the beginning of a rough period for Theodore.
Left wing Marcus Foligno cut to the front of the crease less than two minutes later when Theodore’s head was turned away from the play. Foligno then finished a centering pass from center Ryan Hartman to put Minnesota up 2-0.
“We’re all a team. The whole team, forwards, D, goalies, we’re all in this together,” Hanifin said. “I thought we started the game well. We were prepared. It’s just, we let a couple ones slip away there from us. That was unlike us. We’ll get back on track.”
Theodore later turned the puck over to left wing Marcus Johansson in his own zone, leading to a goal from right wing Mats Zuccarello that gave the Wild a 3-0 lead with 2:45 left until the first intermission.
Theodore’s rough night continued in the second period. Another one of his turnovers led to Kaprizov’s first goal.
“He was light on the puck tonight,” Cassidy said. “He’s a great player for us. It wasn’t his night, and it snowballed.”
Cassidy said he respected Theodore for fighting through his struggles. Cassidy added Theodore’s teammates have to pick him up and steady the ship.
Hanifin scored for the Knights with 7:56 left in the second, then Hertl got his second goal of the series 2:26 into the third to give the home fans some hope. But the team couldn’t beat Gustavsson again despite outshooting the Wild 22-7 the final 40 minutes.
It didn’t help that the Knights’ second-ranked power play didn’t see the ice after scoring in Game 1. The game’s lone penalty went to defenseman Brayden McNabb, who was a team-worst minus-4 along with Theodore.
“The second and third period, I know we were down, but that was our type of game,” Hanifin said. “We controlled the play and had a lot of chances. Just didn’t quite come all the way back.”
The series now shifts to Minnesota. Cassidy said the Knights have to bear down and not give the Wild any more life.
“There’s 16 teams that want the trophy and they’re hungry,” Cassidy said. “Every year that starts in the playoffs. Some of our guys gotta realize we started Sunday here, so get hungry, get competitive.”
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
1. Minnesota’s north stars
The Wild’s top players drove their offense for the second straight game.
Kaprizov has five points through two games, while Boldy has four. Center Joel Eriksson Ek, who plays between those two, didn’t get on the scoresheet Tuesday but was a plus-3.
Kaprizov has the primary assist on all three of Boldy’s goal in the series. Boldy said the setup for his goal Tuesday “might have been the best pass I’ve ever seen.”
2. Knights falling stars
The Knights’ top line, on the other hand, has yet to register a point in the series.
Center Jack Eichel had no shots on goal Tuesday. Captain Mark Stone had one.
“They’re elite, world-class players. They gotta get going,” Cassidy said. “To me, it’s a little bit of, the other team’s top guys are all over the sheet. It’s time.”
The group had its chances in Game 1. Eichel had a breakaway in the second period. Stone had a dangerous chance in front. So Cassidy isn’t too concerned just yet.
“That gets overanalyzed sometimes early in a series, too, right?” Cassidy said. “They just didn’t finish the other night. Tonight, a little less so.”
3. Blocking bonanza
The Wild ate pucks all night long.
Minnesota blocked 30 shots Tuesday, including 11 in the first period. The Wild had only 16 blocks in Game 1.
Minnesota finished with 1,319 blocks in the regular season, the 10th-most in the NHL.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.