Brett Howden lifts Knights to OT win over Wild

Brett Howden scored at 4:05 of overtime to give the Vegas Golden Knights a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 of the Western Conference first round on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

Howden, alone at the bottom edge of the left circle, one-timed a backhand pass from Tanner Pearson from the end boards inside the far post. It was his third goal of the playoffs and second career overtime winner with the Golden Knights.

William Karlsson scored a shorthanded goal, Jack Eichel had two assists and Mark Stone also scored for Vegas, which took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Adin Hill made 20 saves for the Golden Knights, who can wrap up the series with a Game 6 win on Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn.

Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy each scored goals and Joel Eriksson Ek had two assists for Minnesota. Filip Gustavsson stopped 23 of 25 shots before giving way to Marc-Andre Fleury at the start of the third period because of illness.

Fleury finished with six saves and moved past Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy (17) for the most Stanley Cup postseasons by a goalie in NHL history, with 18.

Vegas took a 1-0 lead at the 8:25 mark on Karlsson's third shorthanded playoff goal of his career. Karlsson broke out on an odd-man rush with Eichel, who hit him with a crossing pass from the right wing. Karlsson fired a shot into a wide-open left side of the net for his first goal of the 2025 playoffs.

Minnesota tied it just 13 seconds later on a power-play goal by Kaprizov, who one-timed a pass from Mats Zuccarello from the bottom of the right circle five-hole on Hill. It was Kaprizov's 15th career playoff goal, one behind Zach Parise's team record of 16, and also his fifth of the series.

Eichel, who entered the game with just one assist in the first four games, got his second assist of the period when he set up Stone's one-timer from inside the blue line. The shot went past Karlsson's screen and through Gustavsson's pads for Stone's 38th career playoff goal.

Minnesota unsuccessfully challenged for goaltender interference on the score, but the Wild were able to kill the ensuing delay-of-game penalty.

Boldy tied it 2-2 early in the third period when he powered around Alex Pietrangelo on the right wing and then chipped a shot over Hill's glove. It was his fifth goal of the playoffs.

Minnesota appeared to take a 3-2 lead with 1:15 to go in regulation on Ryan Hartman's goal, but Vegas successfully challenged that Gustav Nyquist was offside entering the zone. That set the stage for overtime.

--Field Level Media