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The Vegas Golden Knights scored five unanswered goals in route to a 5-2 victory to take a 2-1 series over the Minnesota Wild.
The Knights, down 2-0, were in an all-too familiar position as the offense was sputtering out of the gate with little energy from the team.
The Wild would score a third goal to add insult to injury but fortunately for the Knights, however it would not last.
That 3-0 lead was wiped out by official review as the Wild were ruled offside on the scoring play.
From there, it marked the beginning of a serious momentum shift in the game between two desperate teams fighting for a series lead.
“We’ve done it before, and usually it’s the same formula: no panic, regroup, stick with it,” Vegas coach Peter DeBoer told ESPN, “and everybody contributing.”
DeBoer’s team was without its top forward Max Pacioretty for another game, and at first, it looked as if the offense would take another hit because of his absence.
Captain Mark Stone took matters into his own hands in the second period following the important official review and squeezed the puck past Minnesota’s Cam Talbot to put Vegas on the board.
The Knights would add two more second period goals off of saved shots from Talbot.
Center Patrick Brown, who was called up due to injury, scored off a Nick Holden shot that Talbot initially saved before Brown struck the puck around Talbot to tie the game at two apiece.
Forward Reilly Smith would get on the board two minutes later off of another Holden long-shot which Talbot couldn’t cover up.
DeBoer praised Brown and Holden’s performances after the game.
“We don't win without both of those guys in the lineup," DeBoer said.
Entering the third period, Vegas had a 3-2 lead.
The third period would feature a scrap fest including a ridiculous save from Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, which saw him catch the puck with his glove behind his back – all while keeping the glove from crossing the red line in net.
The play left Minnesota’s crowd of roughly 4,500 speechless.
Fleury was not as busy as previous games stopping 14-of-16 shots from Minnesota. The Knights did a good job of protecting Fleury, something they had alluded to wanting to do more of following games one and two.
Forward William Karlsson would put the Knights up late by two after a laser from the right of the ice on a breakaway.
Stone would end the night with an empty net goal to give Vegas goal No. 5.
Minnesota was out-shot 39-16.
The Knights will stay in Minnesota for game four of the series on Saturday, May 22. Puck drop is at 5:00 p.m.