Barbashev lifts Golden Knights in overtime to even first round series with Wild

Vegas Golden Knights center Ivan Barbashev scored the game-winning goal in overtime to even a first round matchup against the Minnesota Wild.

Barbie’s score led to a, 4-3, victory for Vegas over Minnesota Saturday, April 26 from the Xcel Energy Center. That ties the series at two wins apiece following back-to-back losses for head coach Bruce Cassidy’s group.

Prior to this win, Vegas hadn’t led on the scoreboard since Game 1.

“It’s been a hard fought every inch of ice out there,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Emotionally we’re going to enjoy it. Tomorrow, we’ll rest and get back to it on Monday.”

A pivotal Game 5 looms for both clubs that is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29 from the T-Mobile Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.

“I think you’re jumping on a plane feeling good about yourself,” Cassidy said. “Maybe they’re jumping on a plane, not [feeling so good] But at the end of the day, it’s 2-2. It’s a best-of-three [now].”

Off a scramble, Barbashev corralled the loose puck and found the back of the net for the series-tying goal. During the regular season, he scored 23 goals as part of 51 total points on the year.

“I felt we were more engaged here than the first two games at home,” Cassidy said. “That’s probably normal in a playoff series. A little animosity builds, intensity level had to be up today — we’re down a game.”

On that game-ending goal, Barbashev and fellow center Nicolas Roy earned their second points of the night. Earlier in the overtime period, Roy was whistled for holding and thus, awarded Minnesota with its second power play chance of the night.

Through 60 regulation minutes, 17 different players recorded a point with Vegas’ Tomas Hertl being the only with two.

“I don’t know if that’s puck luck,” Cassidy said. “That’s a little bit of playoff hockey where you converge on the net and you find a puck and hope the goalie hasn’t tracked it quick enough.”

Hertl scored his third goal of the series as part of two straight Golden Knight goals to take a 3-2 lead in the third period. Roy scored the first of those two goals with 59 seconds remaining on a power play in the same 20-minute session.

After going 2-for-2 in Game 1 on the power play, Vegas had gone one for its last eight before finding some additional success in Game 4. In the win, the team went 2-for-5 with the man advantage.

“You’ve got to get going in 5-on-5 scoring,” Cassidy said. “We’ve been pretty good at that this year, it hasn’t been a deficiency at least. That’s something we’re going to need if we’re not getting on the power play and tonight we did.”

Minnesota scored two straight goals after falling behind, 1-0, to take its first lead of Game 4. Vegas goalie Adin Hill entered the game with an 0-2-0 record in the series with eight goals allowed.

Wild left-wing Marcus Foligno lit the lamp for the third straight game including a second straight with Hill in between the pipes.

Hill made enough saves where he needed to, including kick saves and a save as several players crashed into him early in the overtime session. He finished with 29 saves for a final save percentage of .906.