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One goaltender was spectacular. The other was perfect. As duels go, this one served as a master class.
When it was over, the Game 1 headline carried a striking message: The Wild won a playoff game because of impenetrable goaltending.
Brought to the organization this season to provide calm, consistent goaltending, Cam Talbot rewarded that faith in him by blanking the Vegas Golden Knights 1-0 in overtime in what became a fantastic stand-off against Marc-Andre Fleury.
The teams combined for 72 shots, many Grade A chances. Shooters did everything possible to put themselves in position to score. The goalies were just better.
Fargo, ND, USA / 740 The FAN
May 16, 2021 | 5:59 PM
The Minnesota Wild celebrate their overtime victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Sunday, May 16, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
By W.G. Ramirez
LAS VEGAS Joel Eriksson Ek’s goal at 3:20 of overtime lifted the Minnesota Wild past the Vegas Golden Knights 1-0 in Game 1 of their first-round series on Sunday.
Wild goaltender Cam Talbot stopped all 42 shots he faced.
Vegas’ Marc-Andre Fleury, the first goalie in NHL history to play in 15 consecutive postseasons, made 29 saves.
After Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo failed to clear the puck, Eriksson Ek was in the slot to send a shot that went off the skate of Golden Knights defender Alec Martinez and past Fleury.
The 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs got underway this weekend with three of the first four games requiring overtime and the other being a heated between state rivals.
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The Star Tribune s Sarah McLellan joins Michael Rand to break down the Wild s 1-0 overtime win over Vegas in Game 1 of their playoff series. Veteran goalie Cam Talbot was perfect in net, turning away 42 shots and helping the Wild calm its nerves early on. Joel Eriksson Ek provided the only offense necessary with a deflected shot from close range in overtime. Can the Wild carry that momentum into Game 2 and take a huge series lead in Vegas?
10:00: Patrick Reusse joins the show for a little more Wild talk, plus thoughts on the Twins continuing to invent ways to lose games. If Saturday s comeback win gave you thoughts that the team was going to start a streak in the right direction, Sunday s disappointing 7-6 loss will leave you thinking otherwise. Plus the Wolves finished their season Sunday with much more promise than how the started but Rand argues there is still a lot of work to be done before anyone can be happy with this roster.