The Minnesota Wild defeated the Vegas Golden Knights by a score of 5-2 on Monday, December 29, 2025, at T-Mobile Arena, marking the Golden Knights' fifth loss in their last six games. Here are three takeaways from the game:
1. Dominant Start Propels Wild to Victory
The Minnesota Wild came out firing, scoring just 26 seconds into the game when Marcus Johansson beat Vegas goalie Carter Hart. The Wild continued to apply pressure, ultimately chasing Hart from the net after scoring five goals on just 12 shots. Overall, Minnesota outshot Vegas 27-16. Matt Boldy, Jared Spurgeon, Brock Faber, and Joel Eriksson Ek also contributed goals for the Wild. With this win, the Wild have improved their record to 9-1-1 since December 8.
2. Golden Knights' Struggles Compound
The Golden Knights faced an uphill battle from the start, with Tomas Hertl receiving a game misconduct for an illegal hit just over two minutes into the game. While they successfully killed off the ensuing five-minute major penalty, the ejection of Hertl, combined with the absence of key players like Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, and Shea Theodore, proved too much to overcome. Carter Hart allowed five goals on 12 shots before being replaced in net by Akira Schmid. Schmid stopped all 15 shots he faced, but the damage was already done. Brayden McNabb and Mark Stone scored for Vegas, but it wasn't enough to spark a comeback. The Golden Knights have been outscored 25-21 during their recent slide.
3. Johansson's Impactful Performance
Marcus Johansson had a standout game for the Wild, scoring a goal and adding three assists. He assisted on the goals by Boldy, Spurgeon and Eriksson Ek. Boldy has been on a hot streak recently, recording 18 points (10 goals, 8 assists) in his last 12 games, while Eriksson Ek has 13 points (6 goals, 6 assists) in his last 11. Furthermore, Filip Gustavsson's strong performance in goal, stopping 14 shots, contributed to the Wild's success. Gustavsson improved to 6-0-1 in his last seven starts.
Looking ahead, the Wild will continue their road trip against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, while the Golden Knights will host the Nashville Predators.
