Wild Beat Vegas After Boldy’s Effort and Kaprizov’s OT Winner

The Minnesota Wild earned an impressive 3-2 overtime victory against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. While the winning goal came from Kirill Kaprizov with only 10 seconds left in overtime, one of the most important plays of the game happened two minutes earlier. It was a defensive effort by Matt Boldy that changed everything and helped Minnesota secure the win.

Late in overtime, Marcus Johansson lost the puck, allowing Vegas to attack with a strong chance to score. Mitch Marner sped toward the Wild’s net on a breakaway. Instead of shooting, Marner passed the puck to Shea Theodore, who seemed to have a clear opportunity to score as Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson moved toward Marner. Just as Theodore was ready to fire the puck, Matt Boldy rushed back and lifted Theodore’s stick. This strong defensive play stopped what looked like a certain game-winning goal for Vegas.

Right after that, Boldy returned to the ice and created another important moment. He drew a penalty from Theodore with just 29 seconds left in overtime. On the resulting power play, Boldy assisted on the game-winning goal. Mats Zuccarello sent a quick pass to Kaprizov, who fired a powerful one-timer into the net. It was Kaprizov’s 11th career overtime goal and secured a dramatic win for the Wild.

Wild coach John Hynes praised Boldy’s determination, effort, and teamwork. He said that every player, no matter how big or small their role, cares about winning and is willing to put in the hard work needed. He used Boldy’s stick lift as a perfect example of this mentality.

Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy was frustrated after the game. He felt that the officials should have called a penalty on Boldy for the stick lift. He also believed that Theodore should not have been penalized later in overtime. Cassidy called both decisions “poor,” and his anger was clear on the bench.

Minnesota’s victory is part of a strong turnaround. The team struggled early in the season, winning only three out of its first twelve games. This led captain Jared Spurgeon to organize a players-only meeting on October 31. Since then, the Wild have looked much better. They are now 6-1-1 since November 1 and have allowed only 14 goals during that time. In their last five games, they have given up just six goals and have not allowed any five-on-five goals for more than 268 minutes of play.

Kaprizov said the team was playing “too soft” earlier in the season, but now everyone is more focused and working together. Marcus Foligno agreed, adding that they were too loose in the neutral zone and gave opponents too much space. With stronger defense and more structured play, the Wild have regained their identity.

In the game against Vegas, the Wild also received goals from Joel Eriksson Ek and Yakov Trenin. Zuccarello assisted twice, and Gustavsson made 23 saves. However, Minnesota did lose Ryan Hartman to a lower-body injury in the third period, which could be an issue if he cannot recover before Wednesday’s game against Carolina. Marco Rossi is also unavailable, leaving the team short on centers.

Minnesota’s win ended a difficult streak, as Vegas had beaten them in five straight regular-season games and in eight of the last nine meetings overall.

Yakov Trenin’s goal, which came after a big hit by Foligno, gave Minnesota a temporary lead before Vegas tied the game and forced overtime. Trenin celebrated by leaping into the glass, a move Foligno jokingly claimed was “stealing” his signature celebration.

Foligno continued to play with power and intensity throughout the night. He delivered seven big hits, including strong ones against Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin. Foligno said the Wild were motivated by last season’s playoff loss to Vegas and wanted to prove themselves.

Coach Hynes praised the Foligno-Yurov-Trenin line for their strong forechecking and physical play. He explained that their teamwork, pressure, and smart positioning helped extend offensive zone time and keep Vegas on the defensive.

Meanwhile, goalie Filip Gustavsson faced questions about the competition with Jesper Wallstedt, who recently recorded two shutouts. Gustavsson said their strong play pushes both of them to perform better.

The Wild’s win showed how much progress the team has made. Strong defense, physical play, discipline, and key contributions from both stars and role players helped them earn a hard-fought victory. The Wild believe they can continue improving, and this game was a strong step forward in rediscovering the style that makes them successful.