Game Recap: Golden Knights 3, Wild 2

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Victor Olofsson scored twice, and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 at Xcel Energy Center on Sunday.

Shea Theodore had a goal and an assist, and Jack Eichel had two assists for Vegas (20-8-3), which was coming off a 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday but is 5-1-0 in its past six games. Ilya Samsonov made 20 saves.

“Well, we got to the finish line with two points,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We did it in regulation. Made it a little difficult on ourselves late with the penalty kill, but I liked our third. I didn’t like our second at all. Loved our first, and that’s why I think you saw different pieces of -- we were very good, I thought below average, then good. It was enough today. We’re still striving for that 60 minutes, but I’d say, you know, winning the hockey game is what matters, and we found a way to make the plays at the right time and defend really well in the third on the road against a good team.”

Kirill Kaprizov scored two goals for the second straight game, and Mats Zuccarello had two assists for Minnesota (20-7-4), which defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 on Saturday.

“I thought it was two teams that played hard,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “Both teams, I think, are tight checking, competitive on the puck. And yeah, it was two teams going off back-to-backs. There was not a lot of free ice for either team.”

Jesper Wallstedt made 24 saves in his season debut for Minnesota after Filip Gustavsson was a late scratch because of a lower-body injury.

Hynes did not have a further update on Gustavsson postgame but said he doesn’t “think it’s anything major.”

Kaprizov gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 1:30 of the first period. Zuccarello forced a turnover by Zach Whitecloud along the boards and sent a backhand centering feed out to Kaprizov, who scored blocker side from in front.

"Yeah, just try and play our game,” Kaprizov “That's it."

Olofsson scored seven seconds into a power play to tie it 1-1 at 9:31. He used a screen from Mark Stone and shot blocker side from the top of the right circle.

Theodore put Vegas ahead 2-1 at 6:04 of the second period, taking a pass from Eichel as the trailer on an odd-man rush and scoring with a shot from the edge of the left circle.

"I think we're happy with our rush game. You want to continue to build on the offensive zone play," Eichel said. "I thought we were good in the first. As the game went on, we would to have liked to have spent more time in their zone, but give them credit, they play well defensively. We found a way. A couple rush goals and obviously a power-play goal. It was a good effort by us, and continue to build. There's thinks we like, there's things we want to get better at. We're happy with two points."

Kaprizov tied it 2-2 at 16:56. Brock Faber's shot from the high slot was blocked by Whitecloud and deflected up to Kaprizov, who gloved the puck down at the right face-off dot and roofed a quick wrist shot over Samsonov’s glove.

Olofsson responded to make it 3-2 at 3:49 of the third period. He took a pass from William Karlsson on a rush and sent a shot back toward the forward at the top of the crease, where it deflected in off the stick of Frederick Gaudreau.

"I think I like this win,” Karlsson said. “Tough second from our part after a great start, but managed to find a way to win and got that game-winner and then just hung on at the end there. Just a gritty win."

NOTES: Golden Knights forward Ivan Barbashev left the game after the first period with an upper-body injury. There was no update. ... Minnesota dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen to allow for Travis Dermott to make his Wild debut. The defenseman, who was claimed off of waivers from the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, had two shots and one takeaway in 7:47 of ice time.