Game Recap: Wild 5, Golden Knights 3

LAS VEGAS -- Matt Boldy had a goal and two assists for the Minnesota Wild in a 5-3 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Monday.

Joel Eriksson Ek scored twice, and Kirill Kaprizov, Brock Faber and Ryan Hartman each had two assists for Minnesota (24-23-5), which is 3-0-0 since the All-Star break. Filip Gustavsson made 27 saves.

“I love the two points, but I think the process to get to two points was really solid. We came in trying to replicate a game that we feel gives us a chance to win,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “The thing I'm most encouraged about is the process of the last two games is the style of game and commitment that it's going to take to be able to win down the stretch.”

Alex Pietrangelo had two assists in his 1,000th NHL game for Vegas (31-16-6), which had won two straight. Adin Hill made 24 saves.

"I just think we weren't good enough. I don’t think our execution was good enough up and down the lineup," Pietrangelo said. "You want to win those games, especially when you have a big break. It’s frustrating to sit here for four days now. It’ll help us get prepared for Saturday (against the Carolina Hurricanes).”

Jonathan Marchessault scored 22 seconds into the game to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead. His centering pass deflected off the stick of Faber and floated over Gustavsson.

Mats Zuccarello tied it 1-1 at 10:48, scoring with a one-timer off a return pass from Kaprizov during a 5-on-3 power play.

“That’s a big one,” Hynes said. “In that scenario, you certainly have to score.”

Eriksson Ek put the Wild in front 2-1 just as a power play expired at 12:09 of the first. He tapped in a centering pass from Boldy after Kaprizov's initial shot caromed back off the end boards.

Michael Amadio tied it 2-2 at 17:45 with a power-play goal, scoring five-hole with a slap shot through a screen by Ivan Barbashev.

Marco Rossi responded for the Wild to make it 3-2 at 6:28 of the third period. Hill thought he controlled the rebound of Boldy's shot, but the puck dropped down at his pads, where Rossi jammed it in.

Boldy extended the lead to 4-2 just 61 seconds later. Hartman dumped the puck in on Hill, but just as it got to the goalie, Boldy knocked it away. He then gathered the puck along the goal line and banked a shot in off Hill's shoulder.

“Good play by ‘Hartsy.’ He just kind of flipped it in there at that awkward distance,” Boldy said. “I tried to get a piece and it followed me. … I was thinking, ‘Just throw it at the net,’ to be honest. There wasn’t much to it.”

Mark Stone cut the lead to 4-3 at 9:40 with a slap shot from the top of the right circle, but Eriksson Ek scored his second into an empty net at 19:38 for the 5-3 final.

“I thought we mismanaged pucks between the blues after the first five minutes,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I'm not making excuses, but I was concerned today about how our energy level would be. It started out well, and then some of the guys we rely on didn't quite have it tonight either.”

NOTES: Boldy has five points (two goals, three assists) in his past two games. ... Eriksson Ek has scored 23 goals in 52 games this season. He scored 23 goals in 78 games last season. ... Kaprizov has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in his past 10 games. ... Stone extended his home point streak to 11 games (four goals, 12 assists).