Takeaways: Wild use three-goal outburst in second period to sink Golden Knights 4-2

Sarah McLellan, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Mar 7, 2026

Published in Hockey

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LAS VEGAS – The Minnesota Wild continue to integrate new players on the fly after a trade-deadline makeover, and the transition isn’t slowing them down.

They fended off the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Friday at T-Mobile Arena thanks to a three-goal tear in 3 minutes, 7 seconds.

Mats Zuccarello kicked off the blitz, Zach Bogosian took the handoff and Michael McCarron scored in his first Wild game to wrap up the takeover that swept the season series against Vegas.

McCarron later added an assist, and Filip Gustavsson made 30 saves to improve to 9-1-1 in his last 11 games.

Bobby Brink was the other newcomer in action after getting traded from Philadelphia earlier in the day for defenseman David Jiricek.

Brink was the Wild’s only deadline-day acquisition to play vs. the Golden Knights; Nick Foligno, whom the Wild added from Chicago, will meet the team in Colorado.

But until Nick’s younger brother Marcus and Marcus Johansson heal up their injuries, the Wild won’t be able to reveal their updated look after a busy week in which they added five players and subtracted only two.

Gustavsson was the Wild’s best player in a first period that saw him deny Colton Sissons twice from Grade-A angles, but the team in front of him was better in the second.

Zuccarello was first to an errant drop pass by Vegas defenseman Noah Hanifin, skating in alone and polishing off a breakaway 5:18 into the period.

Then at 8:07, Bogosian walked into a one-timer outside the right faceoff circle to double the Wild’s lead.

Only 18 seconds later, the Wild ran away when McCarron tipped in a Brock Faber shot with his back to the net.

Faber would go on to miss the second half of the period after getting penalized for instigating a fight with the Golden Knights’ Jeremy Lauzon for boarding Brink.

Vegas would get one goal back, a rising shot from Pavel Dorofeyev at the back post 2:17 into the third period on the Golden Knights’ only power play; the Wild blanked on their one chance.

Vladimir Tarasenko completed a 3-on-1 with 15:42 into the third that McCarron’s pass put in motion before Mitch Marner connected in front with 3:06 to go.

Vegas goalie Akira Schmid finished with 20 saves.

Bogosian and McCarron delivered the second-fastest pair of goals scored by the Wild this season, behind only the empty-netters from Kirill Kaprizov and Tarasenko 15 seconds apart on Dec. 8 at Seattle.

The Wild are gearing up for the playoffs, trading for McCarron, Brink, Nick Foligno and veteran defenseman Jeff Petry after also claiming Robby Fabbri off waivers.

But their seeding in the standings isn’t all that’s at stake the rest of the regular season: So is getting their newbies assimilated into the Wild’s structure and style, and the process is off to a smooth start.

Fabbri’s competitiveness has been notable, Brink was on the puck throughout his first game, and McCarron’s two-point game previewed how he can contribute to the Wild attack.

This trip ends with a Central Division matinee against the Avalanche in Denver on Sunday, March 8. Colorado defeated host Dallas 5-4 in a shootout Friday night.