Minnesota opened its NHL 26/27 campaign with a clean, controlled 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights at Xcel Energy Center. A crowd of 17,566 saw the Wild jump to a three-goal lead in the first and manage the pressure the rest of the way. Shots on goal finished 28-23 for the hosts, with the key split arriving on special teams. Minnesota went 1/1 on the power play, while Vegas finished 0/5. That single conversion plus a late empty-netter proved to be the difference. On Sofascore, you can dive into the full box score, on-ice splits and each player’s Sofascore Rating as the game unfolded.

First-period burst sets the tone

Minnesota did its best work early. Matt Boldy opened the scoring at 12:00, finishing a neat sequence started by Quinn Hughes and Olli Maatta. Maxim Shabanov doubled the lead on the power play at 15:32 after Dylan Coghlan’s tripping minor, with Hughes tallying his second assist. Danila Yurov made it 3-0 at 17:00 at even strength, assisted by Bobby Brink and Rieger Lorenz. By the first intermission, shots were 10-6 and faceoffs 62% for the Wild, a useful combination when you already have three on the board.

The period had its chippy edges. Yurov was whistled for hooking at 7:42, then Jesper Wallstedt took a tripping penalty at 19:14 that Lorenz served. Vegas brought the body with a 9-5 advantage in hits, but Minnesota’s shot quality told. Eight blocked shots for the Wild to six for the Knights helped the lead hold to the horn. The Wild’s only giveaway count in the frame was four to one, but the damage on the scoreboard was already done.

Middle frame: Knights find a foothold, Wild control the flow

Vegas cut into the lead at 23:37 through Rasmus Andersson, assisted by Tomas Hertl and Raphael Lavoie. That goal capped the Knights’ best spell of 5-on-5 finishing in the game’s middle stretch. Even so, Minnesota controlled most metrics in the second. Shots were 12-5 for the Wild and hits 7-3. Minnesota’s skaters posted a 5-0 edge in blocks for the period and 4-0 in takeaways, which kept extended Vegas shifts to a minimum.

Faceoffs, though, swung hard to the Knights at 77% for the frame, a sign the visitors were stabilizing. Minnesota took the only penalty of the period when Blake Coleman was called for slashing at 32:14, but the penalty kill stayed perfect. Even strength shot percentage in the second finished 0/7 for Minnesota to 1/4 for Vegas, a reminder that finishing can flip a period’s narrative. Still, with the lead trimmed to 3-1 and the hosts winning the territorial battle, the Wild entered the third in a solid position.

Third period: Vegas push meets smart game management

The visitors turned up the volume with a 12-6 shots edge in the third. A fighting major apiece at 43:36 for Lorenz and Jeremy Lauzon raised the temperature. Vegas then pulled within one at 50: (official time 50:00) when William Karlsson scored off feeds from Mitch Marner and Brett Howden. With time left and the Knights riding momentum, the building tightened.

Minnesota absorbed the surge with structure. The Wild owned a 2-7 edge in giveaways for the period, a tidy number when the opponent is pressing. Blocked shots favored Vegas 10-6, but the Wild were selective with shot lanes and careful with clears. Blake Coleman’s late tripping call at 59:05 gave Vegas one last hope, yet the Wild finished it off at the other end. Joel Eriksson Ek buried the 4-2 empty-netter at 59: , set up by Kirill Kaprizov. Faceoffs were split 50-50 in the third, and that was enough for the hosts to nurse the lead home.

Special teams and goaltending shaped the scoreboard

This one was decided by details. Minnesota went a perfect 1/1 on the power play and 5/5 on the penalty kill. At 5v4, the Wild’s conversion read 1/1 to the Knights’ 0/5. That special teams edge underscored the night, especially with Vegas generating four man-advantages in the third alone. Even strength shot percentage slightly leaned Minnesota’s way at 3/20 (15%) versus 2/18 (11%) for Vegas.

Between the pipes, Jesper Wallstedt made 21 saves at a .913 clip, including a flawless 5/5 on the penalty kill. Carter Hart stopped 24 of 27 for .889, conceding the lone power-play goal. Team-level defensive effort showed in the blocks: 19 for Minnesota and 16 for Vegas. Takeaways finished 6-3 for the Wild, another small edge that removed Knights looks in the slot. Advanced metrics back the theme: Minnesota led Corsi 51.1% and Fenwick 57.1%, and both teams’ average shot distance matched at 10.2. In short, the Wild created the better unblocked volume and cashed the only special-teams chance.

Stars of the night and standout skaters

Matt Boldy earned First Star honors with the opener and a +2 in 19:34 of ice, setting the tone in a dominant first. Jesper Wallstedt took Second Star for steady work and a perfect penalty-kill line. Kirill Kaprizov was the Third Star, logging an assist on the clincher and generating nine attempts, with four on target. Quinn Hughes quietly ran the offense from the blue line with two assists, one on the power play, plus a block and a takeaway. Olli Maatta added an even-strength helper and led Minnesota in blocks with four.

Joel Eriksson Ek delivered the dagger into the empty net and won 52.9% of his draws, posting a team-best +2 alongside Boldy. Danila Yurov’s first-period strike stood up as the winner, even with four penalty minutes on his line. For Vegas, William Karlsson scored and dominated the dot at 78.6% on 14 faceoffs. Andersson’s second-period goal gave the Knights life, with Marner and Hertl chipping in helpers. Noah Hanifin led Vegas in blocks with four. For more game-by-game breakdowns and each player’s live Sofascore Rating, open the Sofascore app and follow the NHL page.

What this result says

Minnesota’s 3-0 first period gave them the runway they needed. From there, the Wild managed risk, won the special teams battle, and leaned on sound goaltending. Vegas generated a late charge and controlled sections of the second and third on faceoffs, but 0/5 on the man advantage was too much to overcome. The Knights also finished with more hits and late-period zone time, only to meet a compact Wild penalty kill and a goalie in rhythm.

The numbers show a pretty simple story. Minnesota led shots 28-23, controlled unblocked attempts, and blocked more pucks. The Wild owned the only power-play goal on the night. Even with Vegas winning the overall faceoff split 52-48, the home side’s early finishing and mistake-free special teams drew a clear line to two points. It was a tidy, professional home win at Xcel Energy Center, with just enough sharpness in the key moments.