3 takeaways: Knights start Stanley Cup chase with Game 1 win — PHOTOS
The Golden Knights, under coach Bruce Cassidy, know how to start a playoff series.
Left wing Brett Howden scored twice to lead the Knights to a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of their first-round matchup at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday.
Right wing Pavel Dorofeyev and center Tomas Hertl also scored, while goaltender Adin Hill made 18 saves. The Knights improved to 5-1 in series openers under Cassidy with the win.
Game 2 is 8 p.m. Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena.
Cassidy mentioned leading up to Game 1 that teams can overprepare for the start of a series. He believes a series doesn’t truly start until Game 1 ends.
Still, he had plenty to like Sunday.
“I didn’t mind our game at all,” Cassidy said. “Game 1s, you just don’t know.”
It didn’t take long for Sunday’s opener to feel like a playoff game. There were four hits in the first 2:42 according to the box score, but there appeared to be at least five more.
Both teams had quality chances as well. Howden had a good opportunity stopped by Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson. Minnesota right wing Mats Zuccarello dangled through the Knights defense for a dangerous look moments later.
Hertl was the first one to break through with 4:38 left in the first period when he stole the puck off defenseman Brock Faber’s stick and roofed a shot past Gustavsson to give his team a 1-0 lead.
“First thing, I was just trying to get around the guy and get it quickly. I’m happy with that shot because it doesn’t happen often,” Hertl said. “It was a little space. I’m happy it got in, but it’s one of those shots where you maybe shoot five times (and) it doesn’t go in, but this time it ended up in the net.”
Minnesota responded thanks to star left wing Kirill Kaprizov, who set up right wing Matt Boldy for a game-tying goal 2:20 later.
Things stayed even until Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek was called for high sticking, giving the Knights’ second-ranked power play an opening.
It only needed five seconds to take advantage.
Dorofeyev blasted a one-timer after receiving a pass from defenseman Shea Theodore to give the Knights a 2-1 lead with 6:27 left in the second period. It was the first playoff goal of the 24-year-old’s career.
Howden then doubled his team’s lead 2:28 into the third period after taking a transition pass from center Nicolas Roy and sniping a shot past Gustavsson.
Boldy converted on a wraparound with 8:14 remaining, cutting the Wild’s deficit to 3-2. But the Knights didn’t buckle. Howden ended things by scoring an empty-net, power-play goal with one second left.
“Our group, the intensity picks up and our focus kind of narrows in,” defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. “I think we got a lot of guys that like this time of year.”
Here are three takeaways from the win:
1. Minnesota’s top line a problem
The Wild got a major boost at the end of the regular season when Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek returned from lower-body injuries.
Kaprizov, who had 56 points in 41 games, missed half the season. Eriksson Ek, who had 29 points in 46 games, was out six weeks.
The two played on a line with Boldy on Sunday and accounted for both of Minnesota’s goals.
“We knew the top line was going to be good,” Pietrangelo said. “We just got to narrow our focus on them. They had some success tonight, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
2. Withstanding the storm
Cassidy used the last two games of the regular season to give players some rest.
Still, he felt the Knights looked rusty early. They didn’t break the puck out with much pace. But eventually he said they got up to “playoff speed.”
Minnesota, on the other hand, was in desperation mode the last couple of weeks to clinch its playoff spot. Cassidy said he thought both teams played to their identity.
“I thought the game was kind of as advertised,” he said.
3. Rookie’s debut
Minnesota defenseman Zeev Buium had a rough night in his NHL debut.
The 19-year-old, who was selected 12th overall at last year’s draft at Sphere, played 13:27 but didn’t look comfortable.
Buium made some questionable decisions with the puck on his stick.
The future is still bright for the former University of Denver standout, who was a finalist for the Hobey Baker award for the best player in college hockey this season.
But asking him to step right into an NHL playoff series was a tough ask.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.