LAS VEGAS – The Wild won't be the only team traveling back to Minnesota.
So will the Golden Knights.
After shrugging off their scoring funk with a less-is-more strategy, the Wild extended their season and forced a Game 6 back at Xcel Energy Center by outlasting Vegas 4-2 on Monday in front of an announced crowd of 12,156 at T-Mobile Arena to trail the best-of-seven series 3-2.
The next must-win for the Wild is Wednesday in St. Paul.
Kirill Kaprizov, Zach Parise and Jordan Greenway each scored their first goals of these playoffs, combining in the first period to give the Wild a lead they would narrowly preserve after coming close to blowing it on multiple occasions while racking up just 13 shots.
Wild goalie Cam Talbot made 37 saves, and Marc-Andre Fleury had nine at the other end.
Nico Sturm's empty netter with 38 seconds left in the game iced the victory.
This breakthrough by the Wild offense started early and after the team fell behind to the Golden Knights.
While the Wild were still searching for their first shot on net, Vegas opened the scoring after captain Mark Stone got loose in the Wild's zone and wired a puck by Talbot's glove 8:14 into the first period for his series-leading fourth goal.
But the Wild responded only 52 second later, converting on their first shot of the game.
Late in his shift, Mats Zuccarello led a rush into the offensive zone and dished off to a wide-open Kaprizov for a rising shot that handcuffed Fleury.
Not only did the finish snap the Wild's scoreless skid at 120:36, but the goal was Kaprizov's first in the playoffs. He's the seventh Wild rookie to record a playoff goal.
On the team's third shot, the Wild scored again, this time after Parise batted the puck off Fleury and into the net at 11:57. Parise, who was promoted from the fourth line to skate alongside Kevin Fiala and Ryan Hartman, is the Wild's all-time leader in playoff goals (15) and points (35).
And then with 3:26 to go in the first, Greenway put the Wild up 3-1 on his third straight shot against Fleury, a determined finish after Greenway hauled the puck through the neutral zone and into Vegas territory for his first goal of the series and second career goal in the playoffs.
Rookie defenseman Calen Addison, who was making his postseason debut in place of the injured Carson Soucy, earned his first-career point on the play for his assist during a give-and-go with Greenway.
Overall, the Wild scored three times on just six shots in the period. The three goals are also the most by the Wild in the first period in the team's playoff history.
Much like the first, the Golden Knights were in control to begin the second.
And again, they took advantage of the pressure.
Soon after Marcus Foligno saved a goal by sweeping a puck away from the goal line after it got behind Talbot, Alec Martinez scored on a one-timer from inside the right faceoff circle on the power play at 9:43. Vegas' power play finished 1-for-2, while the Wild didn't get an opportunity.
The Golden Knights outshot the Wild 14-0 before the Wild had their first shot on net of the period — a 30-plus-foot wrister by Nick Bonino with 7:15 to go in the second. And that was the lone shot the Wild had in the period, a franchise low for a single period in a playoff game.
At the other end, the Golden Knights continued to swarm the Wild. Alex Tuch came close on three shots to tying the game before the period mercifully ended for the Wild with the team still sporting a slim one-goal lead despite giving up 22 shots in the second alone and being utterly dominated.
Those 22 shots against the Wild tied the franchise playoff record for most given up by the Wild in a period.
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