Nothing is perfect in life. Not even the 1972 Miami Dolphins. They didn't shut every opponent out during that NFL season, meaning they got away with some wins. That also goes for the Vegas Golden Knights winning Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild.
Sure, the home team won, 4-2. That included a buzzer-beater goal by Brett Howden, which added the gold-encased exclamation point. However, not all was great at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday.
For example, Game 1 was much closer than it needed to be. While the Wild had Kirill Kaprizov, Marco Rossi, and Joel Eriksson Ek back, the team doesn't carry the offensive depth that the Golden Knights do. There were some concerns that Minnesota would catch Vegas sleeping and capitalize on their mistakes.
Luckily, Adin Hill was reliable. The 28-year-old stopped 18 of 20 shots, putting in another solid Stanley Cup playoffs performance. It's no wonder he got Vegas a Stanley Cup. Having a steady force in net can remedy some problems plaguing the team, after all.
Let's dissect Game 1 and see what the Golden Knights can fix. How can they attack the Wild in Game 2? What areas can the Pacific Division winners fix before the puck drops on Tuesday? Nobody's perfect in this world. However, these two fixes will ensure the home team at T-Mobile Arena is better than the 1972 Dolphins.
1.) The Vegas Golden Knights must control the neutral zone better.
There were numerous instances where the Minnesota Wild were given carte blanche throughout the neutral zone. The oncoming blitzes were too much for even Adin Hill to handle. Take this Matt Boldy goal as a perfect example.
Kirill Kaprizov with the PERFECT slap pass to Matt Boldy 🔥 pic.twitter.com/J5D35d48ZB
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 21, 2025
Don't let the 20 shots on goal fool you. There's ZERO excuse for the Golden Knights to let the Wild skate freely through the neutral zone. That play could've been prevented with sticks out and swarming throughout the play. That way, they disrupt the play and create takeaways.
Minnesota isn't the strongest team offensively. Sure, they might have plenty of speed. However, they're the type of franchise that's putting the pieces together with Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov returning. It's up to the Golden Knights to ensure they're uncomfortable entering the neutral zone at every turn. Otherwise, the Wild will party like it's 1999.
2.) Please score on the breakaway!
Now, this has been a problem throughout the season for the Vegas Golden Knights. Every time they skate alone in the offensive zone, they either feed it to the goaltender or shoot it wide. Sunday's game was living proof of this problem.
In the second period, Brandon Saad entered the offensive zone all alone, only to miss his scoring opportunity. Moments later, Jack Eichel had a similar opportunity, only for his shot to sail above the net. If one of those chances goes into the net, Game 1's vibes completely change.
Who knows why the Golden Knights struggle to score on the breakaway? It could be because the defender catches them. It could also be because the oncoming attacker overthinks their shot and misfires. Whatever the case, fixing the breakaway problem will turn Vegas into a full-fledged juggernaut.