On Friday, the Vegas Golden Knights ensured their participation in the Western Conference playoffs by defeating the Minnesota Wild, 7-2, in a commanding display of hockey.
The trio of Jack Eichel, Nicolas Roy, and Pavel Dorofeyev managed to secure a goal for themselves and set up another in the game that ended in a win.
Chandler Stephenson tallied four assists, setting a new career high.
In the scoring column for the Golden Knights, you'll find the names of Jonathan Marchessault, Tomas Hertl, William Karlsson, Keegan Kolesar, and Noah Hanifin.
Logan Thompson made 25 saves to secure the victory.
Following the game's conclusion, Vegas trails the third-place team in the Pacific Division by a mere point.
The Deciding Game
Marat Khusnutdinov and Ryan Hartman contributed to Minnesota's goal tally with their respective scores.
Seven pucks eluded Marc-Andre Fleury as he went head to head against the team he once played for.
Kolesar's goal came shorthanded, increasing Vegas' lead to 3-0 in the first period.
Fan favorite Marc-Andre Fleury faced his former team for what could have been his last game in Las Vegas.
Eichel's power-play goal at 13:12 of the second period made it 4-1, one shy of tying the franchise record for most goals in a single season.
Despite trimming the lead down to 3 goals in the final stanza of the game, Hartman ultimately came up short.
Khusnutdinov's first career NHL goal came via a tip of Brock Faber's shot during a power play in the second period.
In his initial outing following the inking of an eight-year, $58.8 million deal, Hanifin contributed with two helpers.
The Golden Knights scored three power-play goals and one shorthanded goal in the contest; and the Golden Knights clinched their sixth playoff berth in seven seasons with the win.
The Wild dropped their fifth game in seven contests and are now out of the playoff race.
Vegas has qualified for the playoffs and now faces the opportunity to protect its Stanley Cup victory.
They are currently in second place in the Western Conference wild card race.
Fleury finished his 20th NHL season with a record of 36-25-7 and a 2.68 goals-against average.
In his initial NHL appearance for Minnesota, Liam Ohgren managed two attempts at the net and ended the contest with a minus-1 rating while on the ice for 14 minutes and 7 seconds.
The Golden Knights' next game will be against the Colorado Avalanche, while the Wild will face the San Jose Sharks.
Hertl's third goal since joining Vegas came via a rebound in the left face-off circle, increasing their lead to 6-2.
In a decisive moment towards the end of the third period, Karlsson capitalized on the man advantage with a forceful goal, extending Vegas' lead against Minnesota to a formidable 7-2.
Securing their fourth straight triumph over Minnesota, the Vegas Golden Knights celebrated a dominating 7-2 victory that not only extended their winning streak but also halted the Wild's three-game winning run.
I'm more happy about being able to clinch the playoffs today, but I feel very good to score the first one in the building because it's a lot of fun to play here.
Tomáš Hertl
Marchessault capped off an exceptional performance with a total of 42 goals, coming tantalizingly close to surpassing the team record for the highest goal count in a single season.
With the loss, any remaining aspirations of a postseason appearance were extinguished for the Minnesota Wild.
With just three games remaining in their schedule and a deficit of only one point, the Vegas Golden Knights are determined to overtake the current third place team in the Pacific Division.
