ST. PAUL – For the fifth time in franchise history, the Minnesota Wild have failed to turn a 2-1 series lead into a 3-1 series lead. In 2022, the Wild had a 2-1 series lead over the St. Louis Blues. In 2023, the Wild had a 2-1 series lead over the Dallas Stars.
They lost both those series in six games. They also had 2-1 series leads in 2008 and 2015.
But this team feels different. The way the Wild have played this season, it doesn’t seem like this is the team that is capable of blowing a 2-1 series lead.
“Yeah, I mean, I like our group. I liked the experience that we have from those previous playoff rounds. We’re right there, right? We had the lead and penalties. It is what it is,” Marcus Foligno said. “We worked really hard tonight, and the way we answered and came back after their goal was the mental toughness that we’ve been showing all year. So, 2-2 doesn’t scare us.”
Shea Theodore got Vegas on the board early in the first after he scored on the power play. The goal on the power play was a result of a Vinnie Hinostroza high-sticking penalty on Brett Howden.
The penalty came five seconds after Hinostroza was dumped into the boards from behind by Howden. Vegas got the power play and scored.
Marco Rossi scored just a few mintues later to tie it. It was his second goal in back-to-back games. Rossi scored in game 3 and now in game 4.
Despite that, Rossi only played 4:40 in the first two periods. He did not play the last 13 mintues on the secod period.
Wild head coach John Hynes was asked why Rossi’s line played only 4:40 in two periods and if it is something Rossi is doing to warant no ice time.
“No, I think some of it goes into special teams and comes into matchups,” Hynes said. “In different situations. So, we’ll take it game by game here.”
The Wild got the lead in the second period after Marcus Foligno scored his third of the playoffs. Mats Zuccarello fired a shot on net and Foligno grabbed it out of the air and down to his feet.
The puck trickled to the point and Hartman fired a shot on net before Foligno banged home the rebound.
FOLIGNO MADE THE LEAPING CATCH THEN SCORED ON THE REBOUND 😱 pic.twitter.com/5bMK9WBFoV
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 26, 2025
Vegas got a power play chance in the third period after Zeev Buium caught Mark Stone up high with his stick. Stone was bleeding bad and Buium was given a four mintue penalty for high-sticking.
The Golden Knights had a few chances but couldn’t convert. Later, Jake Middleton was defending Tomas Hertl in front of the net. Nicolas Roy then came in and hit Middleton in the face. Middleton was slow to the bench after taking Roy’s stick to the chomps.
No call.
Moments later Roy scores on the power play to tie the game 2-2.
About five mintues later, Hartman and Hertl were in a wrestling match out in front of the net. Hertl then falls on top of Hartman and Stone fires a shot off the two and into the back of the net.
Mark Stone just pinballed? the puck off Hertl and Hartmann, who were wrestling in front pic.twitter.com/Qa3FaktVJr
— Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) April 26, 2025
“That’s something we talked about, wasted energy there,” Wild captain Jared Spurgeon said on the non-calls. “Nothing we can really control. If we get frustrated with that, it bleeds into your game. To be able to just let it be as it is and work through it is something we’re trying to do.”
But just 54 seconds after the Roy goal, Spurgeon scored on a wraparound goal to tie the game at 3-3.
After a back-and-forth overtime, Ivan Barbashev was able to captilize on a mistake by the Wild in the defensive zone.
Middleton got the puck behind the net and tried to clear the puck. He put it on the stick of Reilly Smith who found Barbashev in the slot. Game over.
VEGAS HAS TIED THE SERIES! ⚔️
Ivan Barbashev wins Game 4 in @Energizer overtime for the @GoldenKnights! #StanleyCuppic.twitter.com/DQGSoCldst
— NHL (@NHL) April 26, 2025
Say what you want about the penalties that were and weren’t called in the game. Could the Wild have gotten a few more power plays then they did? Sure. But that doesn’t stop the fact that they were out-shot 46-32.
“Yeah, I didn’t have to do much. I mean, our guys are dialed in,” Hynes said on non-calls. “We’ve got strong belief in how we’re playing and nothing really rattles us whether you win a game, lose a game, you know our team’s been resilient all year. One of the main reasons why we’re here is because a) we’ve got a great team and b) we’re resilient. We just play. And that’s part of what it is, so we’ll move on.”
The Wild have won in Vegas already. They will have to win at least once in Vegas to move on to the second round.
“It gives us a lot of confidence,” Foligno said on winning in Vegas before. “I mean, we got to understand that we got to play the same way and play like we did in spurts of game one and majority of game two. So, yeah, we have a have a chance to go there. And, the road doesn’t faze this team.”
It is hard not to think about the last two playoff rounds the Wild have had a 2-1 series lead that turned into a 2-2 series lead and eventually two more wins for the oppenets.
That being said, this is a different team then the one in 2022 and in 2023. At least the Wild think so.
“We all mature as a group, right? So those guys gain confidence after years like that, and understand,” Foligno said. “The way Kirill and Bolds have been playing, it’s just who they are as players. And the reason why they’re top elite players. So, yeah, we’re in a great series. We got our guys going. And, yeah, we feel confident going into game five.”
Hynes added: “Oh man, we’re in a good spot. Hard-fought battle, played well again. The game was right in our hands. Both teams competed hard. We knew it was going to be a hard series. Love where we’re at. I mean, we knew it was going to be a hard-fought series, really like our game, you know? We’re here, man. We’ll just keep grinding.”
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