The Minnesota Wild had a golden opportunity to seize a 3-1 series lead for what would have been the first time in franchise history, heading into Saturday afternoon’s pivotal Game 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Unfortunately for them, that will have to wait until the next season. The Golden Knights ultimately came out on top in a back-and-forth matinee, winning 4-3 in overtime thanks to Ivan Barbashev’s deciding goal in the extra session.
The Golden Knights now have the momentum as the series returns to Las Vegas for Game 5 on Tuesday.
Wild Fans Blast Referees After 4-3 OT Loss to Golden Knights
More than a few Wild fans expressed their frustration with the final result and had a particular bone to pick with the on-ice officials, whom they feel were biased against Minnesota.
VEGAS HAS TIED THE SERIES! ⚔️
Ivan Barbashev wins Game 4 in @Energizer overtime for the @GoldenKnights! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/DQGSoCldst
— NHL (@NHL) April 26, 2025
This fan kept his response short and sweet: “Way to blow it. Unbelievable.”
This Wild fan referenced Minnesota’s failure to secure a 3-1 series lead for the first time in team history, saying, “Have a chance to go up 3-1 for the first time ever in franchise history challenge level: Impossible.”
Another fan targeted the referees for his fury, asking, “Can someone explain why the refs are favoring Vegas against the state of hockey? Is it because they know Minnesota fans will always empty their pockets?”
This fan was full of anger at the officials, saying, “Probably won’t win another game. The league showed who they want to win.”
Continuing along the same line, another fan exclaimed, “We’d be up 3-1 if the refs weren’t dumb as s***.”
A response in a more threatening nature: “First clear should split an official’s jaw next game.”
This Wild fan appeared to take a more measured tone, saying, “Everyone relax. We may be a first-round out again this year but no one thought we’d be here to start the season. We have $15 million in dead cap, but this is the last year of the Parise and Suter contracts. Spend this offseason, great young prospects, future is bright. Enjoy the bonus hockey.”
Finally, this fan blasted both the Wild and the DJ at Xcel Energy Center: “The Legacy of Failure continues! We’ll see ya next year after ya dump the next two. And your Barn DJ plays the absolute worst s*** at your games.”
Wild Coach John Hynes Remained Positive
Despite a disheartening loss that denied his team the chance to take a 3-1 series lead, Wild coach John Hynes kept things positive afterward.
“We’re in a good spot,” Hynes said. “It was a hard-fought battle; we played well again. Game was right in our hands. Both teams competed hard. We knew it would be a hard series. Love where we’re at. We knew it was going to be a hard-fought series. We really like our game. We’re here, man. We’ll just keep grinding.”
The official start time for Game 5 on Tuesday has not been announced yet.