Golden Knights advance with Game 6 victory vs. Wild

Jack Eichel was one of three Vegas players to tally a goal and an assist, and the Golden Knights held on for a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild to clinch their Western Conference first-round series on Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn.

Shea Theodore and Mark Stone also finished with a goal and an assist for Vegas, which won the best-of-seven series in six games. Brayden McNabb collected a pair of assists.

The Golden Knights advanced to the semifinals for the second time in three seasons. They won the Stanley Cup title in 2023 but were bounced out of the first round last season.

Ryan Hartman scored both goals for Minnesota, which hasn't won a playoff series since the 2014-15 season.

Vegas goaltender Adin Hill stopped 29 of 31 shots to earn the victory.

Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 20 saves on 23 shots.

Vegas opened the scoring on the power play 3:30 into the first period. Theodore handled the puck in the high slot and ripped a wrist shot through traffic and into the back of the net.

The sequence marked Theodore's second goal in the past three games of the series. The 29-year-old defenseman finished with seven goals in 67 games during the regular season.

The Wild pulled even on Hartman's goal with less than four seconds left in the first. Marcus Foligno had the puck along the boards and slid a pass to Hartman, who fired a one-timer from the high slot.

Eichel put the Golden Knights back on top 2-1 with 3:48 remaining in the second. He sprinted toward the net on a breakaway and turned to his forehand for a shot that zipped past Gustavsson's glove side.

Vegas made it 3-1 with 3:58 left in the third. Stone stood near the front of the crease and batted a puck out of midair and into the net.

Thirty-one seconds later, the Wild responded to trim the deficit to 3-2. Hartman recorded his second goal of the game as he came from behind the net and stuffed the puck across the goal line.

--Field Level Media