Minnesota Wild’s Bold Move Pays Off in Vegas
In the city of Las Vegas, where luck and chance reign supreme, the Minnesota Wild took a gamble that paid off in a big way. By trading for star defenseman Quinn Hughes earlier in the month, the team made a bold move that has yielded impressive results so far. On Monday night, the Wild improved to 6-1-1 with Hughes on the roster, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 in a dominating performance.
The Wild’s coach, John Hynes, made some key adjustments to the team’s lines earlier in the day, but the one line that remained intact – Joel Eriksson Ek centering Marcus Johansson and Matt Boldy – led the charge for the Wild. “I thought the three of them really played solid,” Hynes said. “I thought they were all skating and moving, working as a three-man unit. Puck execution was really good. Zone play was structured and they executed really well and got to the net and scored some goals.”
A Night to Remember for Johansson
Johansson had a career-high-tying four-point game, with a goal and three assists, as the Wild’s offense clicked on all cylinders. In the other end of T-Mobile Arena, Filip Gustavsson had 14 saves, improving to 6-0-1 in his last seven starts. “You love when the team plays like this and you can just have fun out there,” Gustavsson said. “They were blocking shots and winning faceoffs and killing a good amount of (penalties) now.”
The Wild needed just 26 seconds to take the lead, when Johansson blasted a shot past Vegas goalie Carter Hart on the glove side. Already missing five regulars due to injury, the Golden Knights lineup got a little thinner early in the game when center Tomas Hertl ran Wild center Ryan Hartman into the boards. While Hartman went to the locker room to have a cut on his face tended to, Hertl was assessed a five-minute major penalty and ejected.
Matt Boldy #12 of the Minnesota Wild scores a goal against Carter Hart #79 of the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on December 29, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
A Dominating Performance
Minnesota finally doubled the lead late in the first when Johansson poked a puck out of the defensive zone to start a 2-on-1 rush. Eriksson Ek passed cross-ice, through the legs of a Vegas defender, to Boldy who chipped the puck home for a 2-0 lead. It was Boldy’s team-leading 25th goal. The Wild’s success continued in the second period, with Jared Spurgeon making it 3-0 just 26 seconds into the middle frame. Vegas challenged the play, unsuccessfully, giving the Wild a power play.
The Wild added two more goals before seven minutes had elapsed in the second, with Brock Faber and Eriksson Ek scoring. Hart was mercifully yanked after allowing five goals on a dozen shots. Akira Schmid, who came on in relief of Hart, had 15 saves for the Golden Knights, who have now lost six of their last seven, but still lead the Pacific Division.
The Wild close out 2025 with their lone visit to San Jose this season, looking to salvage a game in their season series with the Sharks. San Jose won a pair of overtime games in St. Paul early in the season. The Wednesday afternoon game at the Sharks’ rink faces off at 3 p.m. CT. For more information on the Minnesota Wild’s recent performance, visit Here
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