Heartbreak. One word to describe Game 5's emotions for the Minnesota Wild. A game that they played very well in, ends in total heartbreak. 

"There's highs and lows always, and we're a couple inches away from this game being over," Wild defenseman Brock Faber said. 

In a 2-1 game in the third period that Marc-Andre Fleury led the Wild on the ice for with Filip Gustavsson going down with a sickness, the Wild were able to tie the game off the stick of Matt Boldy. 

It was Boldy's fifth goal of the playoffs which puts him in a tie with Kirill Kaprizov, Nathan MacKinnon and Andrei Svechnikov for the NHL's playoff lead in goals. 

With 1:20 left on the clock in the third period of a 2-2 game, Ryan Hartman entered the zone before taking it hard to the net to beat Adin Hill. Hartman went from his backhand to his forehand and chipped it over Hill's glove after it hit his own leg and in. 

RYAN HARTMAN GIVES MINNESOTA THE LEAD WITH 1 MINUTE LEFT AND HITS THE RUNNING MAN CELLY 🏃‍♂️‍➡️ pic.twitter.com/ONEe2bTETX

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 30, 2025

The NHL decided to review it for a kicking motion. After a long review, it was determined to be a good goal. 

During the review by the NHL for a kicking motion, the Vegas Golden Knights had all the time in the world to see if there was anything they could challenge. 

There was. 

Wild forward Gustav Nyquist was offsides. After review the play was called back for offsides and the game went into overtime. 

Vegas went on to win it in overtime just under five minutes in. 

Ryan Hartman's potential game-winner comes off the board after a successful Vegas offside challenge#mnwild | #VegasBornpic.twitter.com/LBBTxfdaQJ

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) April 30, 2025

"Inches, right?" Fleury said on the turn of events. 

There isn't much to say after a game like this but the Wild held their heads high knowing they have played five great games in this series. They have dropped two straight in overtime after taking a 2-1 series lead after three games. 

When asked about breaking down the game-winning goal by Vegas, Wild head coach John Hynes didn't want to throw anyone under the bus. 

"Yeah, I thought we battled hard tonight," Hynes said. "It was a tight game but it's all about moving on to Game 6 now."

A lot of the time when the fourth line is on the ice for Minnesota, the third defense pair is also on the ice at the same time. It was Justin Brazeau and Yakov Trenin's fourth shift each since the second period. 

It started when Marco Rossi was out-battled along the boards by Tanner Pearson. The puck rimmed up the wall to Nicolas Hague who sent it back down to Pearson. Hague was defended by Brazeau who went for the hit instead of going for the puck or trying to deflect it.

Zach Bogosian then mishandled the puck on the boards when Hague sent it down to Pearson. 

Pearson regathered the puck, with neither Bogosian or Rossi on him, and sent it to the slot where Brett Howden was somehow left all alone. 

Trenin was covering the far point where Alex Pietrangelo was standing. Jon Merrill, who entered the lineup because the Wild did not trust Zeev Buium in overtime in Game 4 and gave him zero shifts, was standing at the high circles covering no one. 

BRETT HOWDEN OVERTIME WINNER 🤩

VEGAS TAKES THIS ONE IN @ENERGIZER OT AND ARE ONE WIN AWAY FROM ADVANCING! #StanleyCuppic.twitter.com/MjK2GuNPNJ

— NHL (@NHL) April 30, 2025

Howden fired a shot and beat Fleury on the glove side. And just like that, the Wild are now down 3-2 in the series. 

"We're feeling good. We're confident in our game," Boldy said after the game. "We know that we play the right way, we can beat this team. I think we've just got to kind of put that one behind us and stay positive. Take the good, fix the bad and kind of just keep our energy up. I think that's the biggest thing. You can't be deflated. It's a series. You go back home, you use our fans, you try to win that game, then anything happens in Game 7."

The Wild will head back home for a 6:30 start for Game 6 on Thursday. And as Faber said after the game, this thing is far from over.

"This thing is far from over. They still got to beat us. We're going to be ready for war on Thursday."

Make sure you bookmark The Hockey News' Minnesota Wild page for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.

Wild Related News

Wild's Marc-Andre Fleury Sets NHL Playoff Goaltending RecordIn a 2-1 game after the second period in Game 5, Marc-Andre Fleury led the Wild on the ice for the third period.  Wild Backup Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury Returns To The Net Against Golden Knights, Loses In OvertimeLAS VEGAS -- Minnesota backup goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury returned the ice at T-Mobile Arena to oppose the Golden Knights, as Wild starting goalie Filip Gustavsson didn't return to the game due to illness, per the team. Wild Sticking With Gustav Nyquist, Freddy Gaudreau Despite ProductionGeneral box scores can be tricky when it comes to evaluating a player's performance. Stats like goals, assists and shots can tell a story whether or not a guy is producing. Whereas, plus-minus, block shots and hits are general box score stats that point to a guy being good defensively or not. 

The Utah Hockey Club experiences leak where new name is revealed

The Utah Hockey Club had news leak on Wednesday that they may have not been ready for. As they are taking their time with the announcement of what the new name will be for their franchise, their YouTube page gave fans an early look whether it was intended or not. 

Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) on XUtah Hockey Club’s official YouTube page now shows UtahMammoth 🦣

The team has not yet commented on the leak but all signs point to it being true. We can expect a full brand roll out in the next few days for what we now know is the Utah Mammoth. 

More NHL:Where Will Vancouver Canucks Head Coach Rick Tocchet Go Next? 

The NHL has seen several changes around the league in terms of new teams like the Seattle Kraken and Vegas Golden Knights joining recently as expansion teams. Betting odds were at one point posted for what the future name will be so if you can find it anywhere, this is obviously a must-bet opportunity.

In their inaugural 2024–25 NHL season, the Utah Hockey Club finished with a 38–31–13 record, placing 6th in the Central Division and missing the playoffs by a narrow margin. 

Utah has a 1.5 per cent chance of winning the NHL Draft lottery and may have a chance to draft Boston College centre James Hagens, who is listed with +410 odds to go first overall.

More NHL: Stars' Hintz, Oilers' Nugent-Hopkins Headline Playoff Players Due for Bounce Back Performances

They could also opt to go with the new consensus top pick in Erie Otters defenceman Matthew Schaefer. He would fall under the bet of a defenceman to go first overall at -158 and could be a great addition to Utah's blueline. 

Utah showed resilience throughout this season, with standout performances from Clayton Keller, who led with 89 points, and goalie Karel Vejmelka, who finished with a 26-22-8 record along with a solid 2.58 goals against average. 

Despite a promising 89-point campaign, Utah fell short of a wild-card spot, ending their season with a 6–1 loss to the St. Louis Blues, who secured the final playoff berth.

Recent news regarding the New York Rangers focused on who would become their next coach following their recent firing of Peter Laviolette. 

The latest speculation has Mike Sullivan joining the Blueshirts after recently parting ways with the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

As for potential player trade candidates, Chris Kreider seems the most likely to be moved. The 34-year-old left winger has two years left on his contract with an average annual value of $6.5 million and a 15-team no-trade list. 

Center Mika Zibanejad was mentioned in trade rumors, but moving him would be difficult. He has more term left on his contract than Kreider (five years) and a larger average annual value ($8 million). Zibanejad also has a full no-movement clause. 

Nevertheless, Zibanejad recently told the New York Post's Mollie Walker that he's aware his disappointing performance this season puts his tenure with the Rangers at a crossroads. He was also unhappy with how management handled what Walker called “certain business” this season, perhaps alluding to the departures of Jacob Trouba and Barclay Goodrow since last June. 

Regarding his clause, Zibanejad said he knows what his contract says. 

“Both parties agreed to it, and like I said, I think I earned it,” he told Walker. “Until it's time to adjust it, I have no plans of going anywhere. I've invested a lot of years here.”

Still, Walker wondered if GM Chris Drury might meet with Zibanejad to discuss adjusting his no-move clause. 

Turning to the Boston Bruins, there was recent conjecture over whether they might make Jeremy Swayman a trade candidate. The 26-year-old goaltender is their only high-priced player lacking no-trade protection for next season. 

It was suggested the Bruins might peddle Swayman to free up cap space. However, that move seems unlikely, coming less than a year after re-signing him to his eight-year extension. Besides, there is no suitable replacement within their system or available in the trade and free-agent market.

Joonas Korpisalo is the more likely candidate if the Bruins move a goaltender. RG.Org's James Murphy reports sources claim his agent, Markus Lehto, told management that his client would welcome a trade if they don't intend to give him more starts next season. 

Korpisalo, 31, was acquired from the Ottawa Senators last June in exchange for Linus Ullmark. He's signed through 2027-28 with an average annual value of $4 million, with the Bruins carrying $3 million and the Senators $1 million. 

Murphy indicated Lehto was unavailable for comment, and no formal trade request was made to the Bruins. Nevertheless, his situation could be worth monitoring. The limited goalie options in this summer's trade and free-agent markets could make him enticing for clubs seeking depth between the pipes for next season. 

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Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick Luca Marrelli tied a record last night for the Oshawa Generals. One that has stood for 59 years. 

In last night's double OT win against the Barrie Colts, Luca Marrelli had a pair of assists, which put him in the record books for an Oshawa defenseman. 

Marrelli moved into a tie with NHL Legend and all-time great Bobby Orr for the most playoff assists by a defenseman in Oshawa history. Orr set his record from 1963 to 1966, and only a few players have even come close to it since. 

Orr played in 29 playoff games for the Generals and had 32 assists. Marrelli has played in 42 games and has 32 assists. Marrelli's next assist will move him into first among all defenseman for assists in a playoff career. He'll have at least five more games to do it unless something bad happens for Oshawa and they lose a 3-0 lead. 

Luca Marrelli has played four seasons with the Oshawa Generals and signed an ELC with Columbus back in December of 2024. His Generals are up 3-0 in their series against Barrie in the conference finals and will most likely play the London Knights, who are also up 3-0 in their series. 

Marrelli could still join the Cleveland Monsters after the OHL Finals, but should the Generals win the OHL Finals, they would then play in the 2025 Memorial Cup. The Memorial Cup wouldn't end until late May should they advance through the tournament.  

Luca Marrelli should be a Cleveland Monster next year, though. He'll turn 20 on October 5th of this year. 

Let us know what you think below.

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2025 NHL Draft Lottery Odds/Date Set The NHL has announced that the NHL Draft Lottery will be on May 5th at the NHL Network’s Secaucus, N.J., studio.  Cleveland Monsters Advance Set To Face Laval Rockets In Second RoundThe Columbus Blue Jackets' AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, have advanced to the second round of the AHL playoffs. Zach Werenski Nominated For Norris TrophyColumbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski has officially been named a finalist for the 2025 James Norris Memorial Trophy.

The Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the New Jersey Devils in five games Tuesday night at Lenovo Center thanks to a 5-4 double overtime win.

As always following the conclusion of a series, the two teams met at center ice for the ceremonial handshake line, a show of respect between the clubs.

But it was an even more special moment for the Canes as they finally got to drop the masks with a few long-time teammates, but most notably Brett Pesce.

It was valiant effort from the veteran blueliner, who logged an average of 26:43 of ice time per game due to New Jersey's injury issues and, in that time, he had 18 blocks, three points and had a +3 5v5 goal differential.

It was the kind of game one would expect out of Pesce, having watched him for nine seasons in Carolina.

The 2013 third-round pick was a big part of the Hurricanes' organization for so many years and is still a very much beloved figure even though he left in free agency this summer.

And you could tell how much his old teammates still love him as he went down the handshake line, embracing so many of the Hurricanes players.

Our first #HockeyHandshakes of the #StanleyCup Playoffs. 🤝

Still the best tradition in sports. pic.twitter.com/2RWUx91ZRe

— NHL (@NHL) April 30, 2025

"There's a lot of respect there both ways," said Sebastian Aho, who shared an elongated moment with Pesce. "He's our brother. We played here together for so many years. He's a really good friend of mine and obviously a great competitor and, in my opinion, one of the better players to play against. It was definitely kind of an emotional handshake, but it just showed we have a lot of respect for each other."

"That was one of the most unique handshake lines that I've ever been in because there was just so many guys that were Hurricanes," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "It was nice to see them and actually be able to hug them. Hated them for the 10-day stretch here, but they were big parts of building what we've got going here. So that was kind of interesting."

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Be sure to check out the Carolina Hurricanes 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Hub for all postseason stories! 

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