In Vegas, they like to remind you that the house always wins. But sometimes, everything seems to fall in the favor of those with the fortitude to play the odds in a big way. The Minnesota Wild took a notable gamble in trading for star defenseman Quinn Hughes earlier in the month, and that bet has hi t big so far. On Monday night in Sin City, Minnesota improved to 6-1-1 with Hughes on the roster, blasting past the Golden Knights 5-2 as their seven-game road trip rolled along. Wild coach John Hynes had juggled three of the team’s four lines earlier in the day. The one line that he left intact — Joel Eriksson Ek centering Marcus Johansson and Matt Boldy — led the way for the Wild. “I thought the three of them really played solid,” Hynes said. “I thought they were all skating and moving, working as a three-man unit. Puck execution was really good. Zone play was structured and they executed really well and got to the net and scored some goals.” Johansson tied a career high for points in a game with a goal and three assists as seemingly everyone in a white sweater got in on the offensive parade. In the other end of T-Mobile Arena, Filip Gustavsson had 14 saves, improving to 6-0-1 in his last seven starts. “You love when the team plays like this and you can just have fun out there,” Gustavsson said. “They were blocking shots and winning faceoffs and killing a good amount of (penalties) now.” Like hitting blackjack on your first hand, the Wild needed just 26 seconds to take the lead, when Johansson blasted a shot past Vegas goalie Carter Hart on the glove side. Already missing five regulars due to injury, the Golden Knights lineup got a little thinner early in the game when center Tomas Hertl ran Wild center Ryan Hartman into the boards. While Hartman went to the locker room to have a cut on his face tended to, Hertl was assessed a five-minute major penalty and ejected. The Wild got two quality scoring chances but did not score on the extended power play. Hartman returned later in the game. Matt Boldy #12 of the Minnesota Wild scores a goal against Carter Hart #79 of the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on December 29, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Minnesota finally doubled the lead late in the first when Johansson poked a puck out of the defensive zone to start a 2-on-1 rush. Eriksson Ek passed cross-ice, through the legs of a Vegas defender, to Boldy who chipped the puck home for a 2-0 lead. It was Boldy’s team-leading 25th goal. Johansson said the success of his line with Eriksson Ek and Boldy is important, but the team success is more vital. “The team success, it makes it easier for everyone. I feel like when the team has success, everyone else has has success around it,” said Johansson, whose only other four-point game came against the Wild when he played for Washington. “The way we’ve been playing lately and work for each other and everyone’s buying in, I think it makes it easier for everyone.” When the second period began, things went seriously sideways for the Knights, quickly. Jared Spurgeon made it 3-0 just 26 seconds into the middle frame. Vegas challenged the play, unsuccessfully, giving the Wild a power play. They did not score then, but added two more goals before seven minutes had elapsed in the second. Hart was mercifully yanked after allowing five goals on a dozen shots. Brock Faber and Eriksson Ek added second period goals for the Wild. Vegas ruined Gustavsson’s bid for a shutout by pouncing on a few sloppy defensive moments late in the second and early in the third. Akira Schmid, who came on in relief of Hart, had 15 saves for the Golden Knights, who have now lost six of their last seven, but still lead the Pacific Division. The Wild close out 2025 with their lone visit to San Jose this season, looking to salvage a game in their season series with the Sharks. San Jose won a pair of overtime games in St. Paul early in the season. The Wednesday afternoon game at the Sharks’ rink faces off at 3 p.m. CT. Related Articles Coach John Hynes juggles lines ahead of Wild’s first Vegas visit World Juniors: Motzko says world-wide talent, depth are eye-opening Jesper Wallstedt is Wild’s man who doesn’t know too much Late heroics lift Wild past Jets in overtime Wild embrace the challenge of two weeks on the road ...read more read less