Marcus Foligno knows the Minnesota Wild are one loss away from the end of their season.
He also knows they are one win away from forcing a winner-take-all Game 7.
Forgive Foligno if he is taking the glass-half-full approach as the Wild prepare to face off against the Golden Knights in Game 6 of their Western Conference first-round series on Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn. Vegas holds a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series after winning back-to-back games in overtime.
Foligno is undeterred.
“Yeah, it’s the Minnesota Wild. We can deal with this stuff,” Foligno said. “We had 12-day road trips 10 times, it feels like, this year. Just the (stuff) that we’ve had to deal with, and we’re made for it.
“The pesky Wild will persevere in this case, and we have a really good mindset coming into Game 6. Nothing’s been easy this year.”
It won’t be easy for either team in a series that has proved to be a nailbiter.
Vegas comes in flying after a 3-2 overtime win in Game 5, which followed a 4-3 overtime win in Game 4. Minnesota holds a 17-15 advantage in goals despite trailing by a game in the series.
Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy praised his players for their mental fortitude. He pointed to the franchise’s recent success, including a Stanley Cup championship in 2023.
“We know how to win,” Cassidy said. “We’ve proved that. A lot of the guys in the room were here two years ago, and a number we’ve added … have won in the past. They understand there’s highs and lows in this, and things can change in a hurry.
“There’s a lot of champions in that locker room so they’ve been through some of that (playoff pressure), as I’ve said before. It doesn’t mean you’re going to be again or you’re going to win the series or whatever, but they’ve been through stuff. So they tend not to panic very often.”
Tomas Hertl leads Vegas with three goals and two assists in the series. Five players have notched three points apiece, including Brett Howden with three goals.
Kirill Kaprizov is Minnesota’s top scorer with nine points (five goals, four assists) in five games. Matt Boldy is next with five goals and two assists.
Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill is 3-2 with a 3.00 goals-against average and an .865 save percentage in the series. Backup Akira Schmid has stopped all nine shots he has faced.
Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson is 2-2 with a 2.63 GAA and a .919 save percentage in the series. Marc-Andre Fleury is 0-1 with a 2.49 GAA and an .857 save percentage.
Vegas forward William Karlsson said it was important to stay focused heading into Thursday.
“It’s been some tight games, but I feel like every night there could be someone else stepping up,” Karlsson said. “I think that speaks volumes for our team.
“One game at a time. That’s the way we have to take it. We win the next one, we move on. We know what’s at stake. We’ve just got to go there and have a full 60 minutes and try to get the win.”
–Field Level Media
