Experienced gamblers will tell you that Vegas can be lots of fun. But when the slots go cold, the dice won’t cooperate and the cards don’t flip your way, sometimes all you can do is walk away. Or skate away, in the case of the Minnesota Wild. Lady Luck was clearly not on the home team’s side T uesday as they began a three-game homestand, as the Vegas Golden Knights had an answer for every card trick the Wild had in mind. Vegas, the Pacific Division leaders and a possible first round playoff opponent for the Wild, made off with a 5-1 win. The Wild, who were shut out 3-0 in Dallas on Monday, got a valiant 33-save performance from goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who was playing his final regular-season game versus the franchise he led to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. Trailing by a pair, they got a third-period goal from Marcus Johansson and made a late push, but came up a few cards short. “I thought it was another real strong competitive effort tonight. Unfortunately we didn’t get the results that we wanted in both nights,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “But I think this time of the year you need to have consistency to your game, and I think we’ve had consistent consistency to our game for a while, so we gotta stay with it. We didn’t get rewarded for it these two nights, but we got a day tomorrow and then we got another one coming, so that’s what this is about.” Vegas, which ran its winning streak to four games, got 22 saves from goalie Adin Hill and a Jack Eichel hat trick in sweeping its three-game season series with Minnesota. First-period offense has been in short supply for the Wild in March, and the early game drought continued on Tuesday, as Vegas jumped on the home team early. Minnesota managed just four shots in the opening 20 minutes and fell behind 1-0 when Eichel popped in the rebound of a shot that Mark Stone had fired, thwarting the best effort by Fleury to stretch out across the yawning goalmouth. For Eichel, the former Boston University star, it extended his Knights’ franchise single-season points record. Vegas was playing without leading goal scorer Tomas Hertl for the first time this season. Hertl, who has scored four times in the Golden Knights’ previous two games, was injured in the team’s 4-2 home win over Tampa Bay on Sunday and did not come along on the three-game road trip. Still, the Wild couldn’t keep up, and veteran Mats Zuccarello offered no excuses. “I think today, to be honest with you, we plain and simple lose to a better team. The way they make plays, always four, five guys in the rush, seems like they always have time,” Zuccarello said. “They’re playing I would say a supportive way where they always have the guy open. “They always have guys coming with speed, and today, I don’t know. But when you play a little chuck and go game like we did, one guy and with speed forechecking three guys, it’s hard to play against good teams like that,” Zuccarello added. “I mean, you gotta give them credit. They played good, solid hockey. And a night like this, they win fair and square to be honest.” Minnesota got the game’s first power-play early in the middle frame when Vegas was caught with too many men on the ice. But the Wild managed just one shot on the man advantage. Instead, it was the visitors doubling their lead when Brett Howden corralled an errant shot that bounced off the end boards and landed on the edge of the crease to the left of Fleury. Howden was able to slip the puck behind the goalie for a 2-0 Vegas lead before the midway point of the game. But the Wild got some life early in the third, re-igniting the crowd when Johansson fooled Hill with a shot through traffic to make it a one-goal game again. They briefly appeared to tie the game later in the third when Marco Rossi deflected a Brock Faber shot past Hill. But officials immediately declared no goal, as Rossi had played the puck with a high stick. The Wild did not challenge the call. Instead, Eichel ripped a high shot past Fleury on a power-play late in the period for his third multi-goal game of the season. Tanner Pearson added a late empty-net goal, and Eichel completed the three-goal night with a shot through Fleury’s pads. “Listen, they got back in the game. They had a good push. They’re a good hockey team,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Power play came at a real good time for us, and we’re able to convert on it. It gives us a little breathing room. So, from there, it was a quick empty netter.” The Wild will welcome one of the NHL’s greatest players, and this season’s greatest sideshows, to St. Paul on Thursday when the Washington Capitals make their only visit of the season. Caps star forward Alex Ovechkin scored Tuesday night in Winnipeg and needs six goals to tie Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career record. While it is highly unlikely that the record will fall in Minnesota, his pursuit of the milestone has just been one part of the fun for Washington this season, as the Caps are the only team in either conference to have a playoff spot secured. Related Articles Injured Wild forwards could be skating in the “very, very near future” Winning streak ends with a thud, as Wild are blanked in Dallas Wild being cautious, gradual with Jonas Brodin’s return Contenders or pretenders? Wild may find out this week Justin Brazeau’s net-front offense comes at the right time for Wild ...read more read less