Howden scores two goals in the third period to lift VGK over the Wild in Game 1

The Vegas Golden Knights kicked off the Stanley Cup Playoffs with an exciting victory in Game 1 in front of their home crowd.

The Golden Knights defeated the Minnesota Wild, 4-2, on Sunday, April 20 from the T-Mobile Arena. Vegas now leads the best-of-seven series, 1-0.

“I don’t think we gave them a lot of easy opportunities,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I’m pleased about the defensive part of the game.”

The Knights will be back in action against the Wild in Game 2 on Tuesday, April 22. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the T-Mobile Arena.

After another historic regular season that saw the VGK break some franchise records and win the Pacific Division again, it was time for them to get their postseason started.

The Golden Knights their first round playoff series underway on Easter Sunday in front of their home crowd at The Fortress.

It took a little while but Vegas got on the board late in the first period, when center Tomas Hertl scored a goal off assists from defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and left-wing Brandon Saad.

“We’ve got a lot of guys in this room that rise to the occasion this time of the year,” Pietrangelo said.

Pietrangelo and Saad both finished the night with an assist, their firsts of this postseason.

“We’re just looking to improve every game,” Saad said. “I thought we might have not had our best tonight, but it was nice to get the win, and just keep building game by game.”

The Knights kept their foot on the gas later in the second period when left-wing Pavel Dorofeyev found the back of the net with help from Hertl and defenseman Shea Theodore.

It was Dorofeyev’s first goal of these playoffs and his third straight game scoring a goal, going back to the regular season. Theodore’s assist on the goal was his first of this postseason.

It was a multi-point performance for Hertl, with a goal recorded and an assist, playing a pivotal role in the win.

In the third period, center Brett Howden scored the first of his two goals off assists from center Nicolas Roy and defenseman Noah Hanifin, to give VGK a commanding 3-1 lead.

Roy and Hanifin also both finished the game with one assist apiece.

Minnesota then managed to score again to cut the lead back down to one with just over eight minutes left in regulation.

Howden would put an exclamation point on the night when he made an empty netter to beat the buzzer and clinch the win. He was the player of the game for the Golden Knights with his two late goals in the third period to help send their fans home on a good note.

Not only did Howden score two crucial wins, but he also landed a hit that briefly halted the game when he accidentally collided with linesman Bryan Pancich.

The referee had to be helped off the ice and replaced by backup official Frederick L’Ecuyer for the rest of the game just a few minutes into the second period.

After taking the past few days off to rest for the playoffs, goaltender Adin Hill was back starting for Vegas. Hill and the Knights’ defense were looking fresh on the ice and mostly played a solid game.

He had some huge moments throughout the game, especially in the second period when he made back-to-back crucial saves to preserve their lead. By the final buzzer, he compiled 18 saves on 20 shots on goal for a .900 save percentage.

Hill is now 1-0-0 when on the ice in these playoffs.

On the other side of the ice, goalie Filip Gustavsson was between the pipes for the Wild. He finished the game with 23 saves on 26 shots for a .885 save percentage.

Left wing Matt Boldy was the best player on the ice for Minnesota, who scored both of their goals on Sunday night.

Fellow left wing Kirill Kaprizov had assists on both of Boldy’s goals and right-wing Ryan Hartman recorded an assist on one of those goals.

Defenseman Zeev Buium made his NHL debut for the Wild on Sunday, after he was just playing for Denver University in the NCAA Frozen Four just 10 days ago. Buium finished the night with one shot on goal in 13:37 minutes on the ice.

The key for VGK in Game 1 was going 2-for-2 on power play opportunities, while holding Minnesota scoreless on their lone chance.

Heading into Sunday night’s game, the Golden Knights had only scored once in their last 11 power play opportunities, but they may have fixed the issue now in the postseason.