Just 15 seconds into the third, Ryan Suter was called for an offensive-zone slash. Less than a minute later, ace penalty killer Marcus Foligno lofted "his 60 degree" over the glass for a delay of game penalty.
"I tried to drive it off the boards, I didn't even try to rip it up that high," Foligno said. "That was a bad bounce and it just [stinks] that you put your team down against Vegas that has a good power play."
If Vegas converted, it would seize control of the game in the final period. If it didn't, Minnesota had a chance to take advantage of a deflated opponent.
The Golden Knights had possession, it got a couple of solid looks, but led by goaltender Devan Dubnyk, Minnesota's penalty kill did the job.
Just over 10 minutes later, Charlie Coyle scored the winning goal as Minnesota won 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena.
"I thought, once we killed the 5-on-3, it really energized the bench," said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. "They weren't going to do anything to lose at that point."
Minnesota scored twice in the second but was outshot 19-8 in the period. The Wild led just over two minutes before Max Pacioretty re-tied the game at 2, a score that held through the intermission.
And as it often does when it comes down to 5-on-3s, it became the critical point in the hockey game.
"It's always the turning point of the game either way, especially if you get a kill at that end of the game," said Wild forward Mikko Koivu. "It's a confidence booster for Duby, it's a momentum shift for our end. If you're able to get that it's usually a good sign."
It did, and it was.
The Wild, which appeared heavy-legged later in the second, looked energized down the stretch.
When Jared Spurgeon slid a cross-crease pass to Coyle for the winning goal, there was still 5:31 left on the clock.
Still, the victory seemed inevitable because the group was skating with confidence.
"I think that might have hurt them a little bit, 2-2 at the time, it was just huge kill for us and desperation of trying to keep the puck out of our net," Foligno said, with plenty of relief in his voice. "Duby made some big saves and I think when we killed that 5-on-3 off, it was something we just ... it usually happens, it's a huge momentum swing, we picked up and they kind of dropped a little bit because they had a good opportunity to score. We did a good job of defending and got the next one."
The victory sets up a crucial Central Division battle on Wednesday night as Minnesota plays its final game before the All-Star break in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche.
Minnesota's win in Las Vegas also pushed it into third place in the division, usurping the spot from the Avs following Colorado's loss to Nashville earlier in the day on Monday.
With a nine-day layoff looming after the game at Pepsi Center, the Wild has a major opportunity to do something few teams in the division have been able to do all season: Put some space between it and an opponent in the standings.
Postgame:
- Postgame Hat Trick: Wild 4, Golden Knights 2
- Wild acquires defenseman Hunt
