The Minnesota Wild came up just short on Monday against the Vegas Golden Knights. However, the night showcased one of the team's up-and-coming talents, Matt Boldy.
Boldy scored his 30th goal of the season in a two-point performance against the Golden Knights. With this goal, Boldy became the second player in Minnesota history to record a 30-goal season at age 21 or younger.
Marian Gaborik is the only other player to accomplish the feat for the Wild. Gaborik actually achieved the feat twice, scoring 30 goals in the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. He fell short of three straight 30-goal seasons by the age of 21 in 2003-04.
Gaborik spent eight years of his career donning a Wild sweater. The Slovakian star scored 219 goals for Minnesota in 502 career games before moving on to the New York Rangers.
Boldy is playing in just his second career NHL season. The Boston College product 15 goals in 47 games during his rookie campaign, and now has doubled his total during his sophomore campaign.
“We played a pretty good game as a team,” Boldy said of the loss. “We played well defensively. It's a tough break to see them leave with two points.”
Despite the loss, the Wild clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They did so by virtue of their getting a point from this game combined with the Nashville Predators losing on Monday night.
While we know the team will make the playoffs, we do not know who the Wild will face. They are one of five teams to clinch a spot in the Western Conference. Minnesota is joined by the Golden Knights, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, and Edmonton Oilers in representing the West in the playoffs.
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