Vegas wins in OT to even series with Wild

Ivan Barbashev chipped in a rebound at the 17:26 mark of overtime to give the Vegas Golden Knights a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild in Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round series on Saturday afternoon in Saint Paul, Minn.

The series is tied 2-2, with Game 5 set for Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

Reilly Smith set up the game-winner, picking up a loose puck after Wild defenseman Jake Middleton whiffed trying to clear the puck from his own zone. Smith then fired the puck toward the net, where Barbashev put in the rebound of a Nicolas Roy rebound try for the first playoff overtime winner of his career.

“That puts us back to having home ice advantage, and that’s the most important thing,” Smith said. “It could have been anyone. (Barbashev) obviously does a great job going to the net and finding loose pucks, and on that one burying it.

“It’s a huge goal. It’s a team win more importantly. We’ll just take that one and use our home ice,” Smith added.

Tomas Hertl and Roy joined Barbashev with a goal and an assist. Defenseman Shea Theodore also scored for Vegas, and Adin Hill made 29 saves.

Marcus Foligno scored for the third straight game and Marco Rossi and blue-liner Jared Spurgeon also scored for Minnesota. Filip Gustavsson finished with 42 saves.

Vegas took a 1-0 lead at the 6:47 mark of the first period on a power-play goal by Theodore, who fired a wrist shot from above the circle over Gustavsson’s left shoulder for his first goal of the playoffs. Jack Eichel picked up an assist, his first point of the series.

Minnesota tied it midway through the period when Yakov Trenin knocked the puck off the stick of Vegas defenseman Nicolas Hague along the end boards and then made a backhand pass to Rossi, who roofed a wrist shot from the right side of the crease.

Despite the loss, Minnesota coach John Hynes was upbeat.

“We’re in a good spot. Hard-fought battle and we played well again. Game was right in our hands. Both teams competed hard. Knew it was going to be a tough series. Love where we’re at. …We’re here, man. We’ll just keep grinding.”

The Wild took a 2-1 lead 1:24 into the second period when Foligno slid in a rebound of Ryan Hartman’s shot inside the left post for his third goal of the playoffs. Foligno’s goal streak is the longest of his postseason career and tied for his longest mark in the regular season.

The Golden Knights, who led the NHL with 109 third-period goals in the regular season, tied it at the 4:50 mark of the third period on Roy’s spinning rebound wrist shot from the slot, his ninth career playoff goal and his first of this postseason. The power-play score came after Wild rookie defenseman Zeev Buium picked up a double-minor high-sticking penalty in front of the net, cutting Mark Stone by the right eye.

Vegas then took a 3-2 lead midway through the period when Stone’s pass into the slot caromed in off the skate of Hertl, who was rolling on the ice with Hartman in front of the net. But the Wild came right back to tie it just 54 seconds later on a wraparound goal by Spurgeon.

–Field Level Media