The difference between the Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights in their first-round series has been goaltending. All 20 skaters on the ice are mute compared to the effect that Marc-Andre Fleury and Cam Talbot have provided for their respective teams.
During Game 6 — a 3-0 shutout win that extended the series for the Wild to a nerve-racking seventh game — despite Talbot standing on his head for the entire game, a little nudge of officiating helped him earn the clean sheet.
A no-goal call due to goaltender interference that took away the Golden Knights’ equalizing tally in the third period helped give some stabilizing sense that Minnesota could force a Game 7.