3 Keys: Golden Knights at Wild, Game 4 of first round

3 years ago  /  NHL.com  /  Read Time: 3 minutes 24 seconds

• Zach Parise is playing for the Minnesota Wild against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup First Round at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday.
• Coach Dean Evason said the Wild had "a couple of game-time decisions" when asked who would replace forward Marcus Johansson, who broke his arm in Game 3 on Thursday, had surgery Friday and is out indefinitely.
• Parise is the leading playoff scorer in Wild history with 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists) in 40 games and has scored 77 points (35 goals, 42 assists) in 101 playoff games during his 16-season NHL career.
• But the 36-year-old forward was a healthy scratch for the first three games of this series after scoring 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 45 games during in the regular season.
• "It's always tough to see a teammate frustrated and be put in a situation like that," Wild captain Jared Spurgeon said.
• The Wild had lost two straight after winning Game 1.
• Evason said it shouldn't be difficult for new players to jump into the series.
• "I know everyone that's been skating clearly is in great shape," Evason said.
• Max Pacioretty is out for Vegas for the fourth straight game.
• The forward, who led the Golden Knights with 24 goals during the regular season, missed the last six regular-season games and first three games of this series because of an undisclosed injury.
• The Wild outscored the Golden Knights 2-0 and outshot them 7-4 in the first period of Game 3, then were outscored 5-0 and outshot 36-9 over the final two periods.
• Evason said penalties were the turning point of Game 3 even though the Wild went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill, because they took Minnesota out of rhythm and gave Vegas momentum.
• The Wild must avoid as many as possible in Game 4.
• Golden Knights projected lineup

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