Kirill Kaprizov falls to the ice from Nic Hague’s punch in Wild-Knights scrum – Source: Imagn

The Minnesota Wild bounced back in Game 2 with a 5-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, evening their first-round playoff series.

However, the game was marred by a scrum that saw Golden Knights defenseman Nic Hague punch Wild star Kirill Kaprizov, sending him tumbling to the ice.

Vegas’ forward Ivan Barbashev had a shot stopped by Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson at 15:22 of the third period, leading to a scramble in front of the net for the rebound.

Hague and Kaprizov became entangled, wrestling each other to the ice. As officials moved in to break it up, Hague connected with two big right hands to Kaprizov’s head. The punches sent Kaprizov sprawling down the ice. No penalties were called on the play.

Watch the video here:

Kirill Kaprizov got two goals while Matt Boldy, Marcus Foligno and Mats Zuccarello also added goals for Minnesota. Filip Gustavsson had 30 saves.

Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl scored for Vegas. Adin Hill stopped 12 shots in the loss.

The series now moves to Minnesota with the score tied 1-1. The Wild will look to ride their momentum at home in Game 3 on Thursday night.

Game recap: Wild 5-2 win against Vegas

Minnesota struck first when Boldy finished off a breakaway chance with an assist by Kaprizov at 9:56 of the opening period. Just under two minutes later, Foligno parked himself in front and buried a quick setup from Hartman to make it 2-0.

“I think from a competitive level, we were where we needed to be. But the big part is poise under pressure and playing smart, understanding how to manage those certain things. I thought we did a fairly good job of that tonight,” Wild HC John Hynes said. (per cbssports.com)

Zuccarello then capitalized on a misplay by Theodore at the blue line to extend the lead to 3-0 at 17:15,. Kaprizov then converted on a 2-on-1 after another Theodore turnover for a 4-0 lead in the early second at 3:59.

Hanifin put Vegas on the board at 12:04, picking up a loose puck in the slot and firing it past the glove. Hertl then netted on Pietrangelo’s centering pass to cut the lead to 4-2 early in the third at 2:26.

Kaprizov finished the game with an empty-netter goal at 17:34, capping a 5-2 victory for Minnesota.