Minnesota Wild at Vegas Golden Knights
NHL game between the Minnesota Wild and the Vegas Golden Knights on Dec 29, 2025. Final score: Minnesota Wild 5, Vegas Golden Knights 2.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Dec 29, 2025 |
| Venue | T-Mobile Arena |
| Minnesota Wild score | 5 |
| Vegas Golden Knights score | 2 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Marcus Johansson | L | 1 | 3 | 3 | 13:46 | 0.09 | 2.67 |
| 2nd | Jared Spurgeon | D | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19:35 | 0.15 | 1.69 |
| 3rd | Joel Eriksson Ek | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16:18 | 0.17 | 1.44 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Minnesota Wild–Vegas Golden Knights) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 00:26 | MIN | Marcus Johansson | Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon | 5v5 | 1–0 |
| 1st 14:06 | MIN | Matt Boldy | Joel Eriksson Ek, Marcus Johansson | 5v5 | 2–0 |
| 2nd 00:26 | MIN | Jared Spurgeon | Marcus Johansson, Jonas Brodin | 5v5 | 3–0 |
| 2nd 04:32 | MIN | Brock Faber | Yakov Trenin, Kirill Kaprizov | 5v5 | 4–0 |
| 2nd 06:56 | MIN | Joel Eriksson Ek | Matt Boldy, Marcus Johansson | 5v5 | 5–0 |
| 2nd 16:50 | VGK | Brayden McNabb | Ivan Barbashev, Pavel Dorofeyev | 5v5 | 5–1 |
| 3rd 02:14 | VGK | Mark Stone | Ivan Barbashev, Mitch Marner | 5v5 | 5–2 |
Team Comparison
| Minnesota Wild | Vegas Golden Knights | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 5 | 2 |
| Shots on goal | 27 | 16 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 2.02 | 2.33 |
| High-danger shots | 12 | 15 |
| Corsi % | 53.2% | 46.8% |
| Power play | 0/3 | 0/2 |
| Faceoff % | 52.9% | 47.1% |
| Hits | 17 | 30 |
| Blocks | 20 | 13 |
| Giveaways | 15 | 13 |
| Takeaways | 4 | 4 |
Minnesota Wild Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Johansson | L | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 13:46 | 0.09 | 2.67 |
| Jared Spurgeon | D | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 19:35 | 0.15 | 1.69 |
| Joel Eriksson Ek | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 16:18 | 0.17 | 1.44 |
| Jonas Brodin | D | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 17:24 | 0.02 | 1.43 |
| Matt Boldy | L | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 16:14 | 0.31 | 1.29 |
| Yakov Trenin | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14:24 | 0.07 | 0.99 |
| Brock Faber | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21:33 | 0.01 | 0.80 |
| Kirill Kaprizov | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 19:41 | 0.46 | 0.54 |
| Quinn Hughes | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 23:01 | 0.02 | 0.15 |
| Marcus Foligno | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:05 | 0.00 | 0.10 |
| Nico Sturm | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12:26 | 0.12 | 0.05 |
| Danila Yurov | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:11 | 0.00 | 0.05 |
| Mats Zuccarello | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18:34 | 0.22 | 0.05 |
| Zach Bogosian | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16:29 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| Ryan Hartman | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13:01 | 0.09 | 0.00 |
| Vinnie Hinostroza | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11:24 | 0.20 | 0.00 |
| Vladimir Tarasenko | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14:47 | 0.13 | -0.05 |
| Jake Middleton | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:30 | 0.02 | -0.10 |
Vegas Golden Knights Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivan Barbashev | L | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 18:02 | 0.43 | 1.28 |
| Brayden McNabb | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 23:45 | 0.09 | 1.00 |
| Mark Stone | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 20:15 | 1.10 | 0.80 |
| Mitch Marner | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 21:22 | 0.15 | 0.74 |
| Pavel Dorofeyev | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 15:53 | 0.17 | 0.74 |
| Jeremy Lauzon | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:06 | 0.04 | 0.40 |
| Zach Whitecloud | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21:11 | 0.00 | 0.20 |
| Kaedan Korczak | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:46 | 0.00 | 0.20 |
| Brett Howden | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:07 | 0.00 | 0.20 |
| Keegan Kolesar | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:58 | 0.00 | 0.15 |
| Brandon Saad | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15:03 | 0.13 | 0.10 |
| Noah Hanifin | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22:08 | 0.00 | 0.05 |
| Ben Hutton | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:46 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Alexander Holtz | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:21 | 0.07 | 0.00 |
| Colton Sissons | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:34 | 0.08 | 0.00 |
| Braeden Bowman | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11:50 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Reilly Smith | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:03 | 0.00 | -0.10 |
| Tomas Hertl | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55:00 | 0.00 | -1.12 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filip Gustavsson | Minnesota Wild | 14 | 16 | 87.5% | -1.54 | W |
| Akira Schmid | Vegas Golden Knights | 15 | 15 | 100.0% | 1.52 | |
| Carter Hart | Vegas Golden Knights | 7 | 12 | 58.3% | -2.64 | L |
Analysis
The Minnesota Wild defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 5–2 on Dec 29, 2025.
Vegas Golden Knights generated 2.33 expected goals to Minnesota Wild's 2.02 — Vegas Golden Knights owned the better of the chances but Minnesota Wild took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it; by expected goals it was close to a coin flip.
Marcus Johansson led all skaters with a Game Score of 2.67 on 1 goal, 3 assists, 3 shots on goal.
Akira Schmid stopped 15 of 15, worth 1.52 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights game?
The Minnesota Wild beat the Vegas Golden Knights 5–2 on Dec 29, 2025.
What was the final score?
The final score was Minnesota Wild 5, Vegas Golden Knights 2.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Marcus Johansson led all skaters at 2.67, on 1G, 3A and 3 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Vegas Golden Knights generated 2.33 expected goals and Minnesota Wild generated 2.02, so Vegas Golden Knights created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Minnesota Wild put 27 shots on goal and Vegas Golden Knights put 16. High-danger chances went 12 to 15.
How did the goaltenders play?
Filip Gustavsson stopped 14 of 16 (-1.54 goals saved above expected); Akira Schmid stopped 15 of 15 (1.52 goals saved above expected).