LAS VEGAS -- You'll never hear the Wild use it as an excuse, but the team's injury situation is reaching a dire level as its pre-Christmas schedule comes to a head.
Tuesday night, Minnesota was without Jason Zucker, Mikko Koivu, Joel Eriksson Ek and Jared Spurgeon but still nearly rallied late to tie a game it would lose 3-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.
"We competed, no question, but that's our job. We're supposed to. That's never an option," said Wild forward Eric Staal. "You're after results and tonight we were on the wrong side of it, so it was disappointing."
Depleted Wild comes up just short against Golden Knights
Without four lineup regulars, Minnesota lost in Las Vegas for the first time Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena