LAS VEGAS — Editor's note: The video above originally aired on Oct. 19, 2021.
Las Vegas has a star-studded lineup, but it was Paul Cotter and Jonas Rondbjerg each scoring his first NHL goal that led the Las Vegas Golden Knights over the Minnesota Wild 3-2 late Thursday.
The Golden Knights improved to 7-2-0 since Oct. 26 after opening the season on a 1-4-0 skid. Minnesota had its four-game win streak snapped.
Jonathan Marchessault also scored for the Golden Knights, and Laurent Brossoit made 24 saves. Vegas was severely shorthanded, skating without four of its best forwards, one of its defensemen and the club was forced to start its backup netminder.
Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Hartman scored for the Wild, while goaltender Cam Talbot stopped 32 shots.
The Wild was on the second night of a back-to-back and it showed, with Minnesota going down 3-0 in the second period. But in the third captain Jared Spurgeon scored on a wicked wrist shot, and the red-hot Ryan Hartman pulled the Wild within one. Sadly, that is as close as it got.
"We felt that, the end of the second, or the middle of the second, we got our legs were coming back to us and we felt a little bit more confident," Wild forward Marcus Foligno told NHL.com. "I think in the third, we kept doing what we were doing. Obviously a little bit more desperation, but I think that we had our legs, but our mindset was just a lot better."
"Just our start was not good. Two goals right away in the first period and that stings."
It wasn't like the Wild didn't have their chances. The Knights went to the penalty box repeatedly, but Minnesota finished the evening 0-6 on the power play.
The Wild wind up their western swing Saturday night against the Seattle Kraken before returning home to the friendly confines of the Xcel Energy Center.