Hertl swooped in behind Faber, lifted his stick and spun his body around to protect it for himself. Before the Wild defense could react, Hertl fired a perfectly placed snap shot over the shoulder of Minnesota goalie Filip Gustavsson and into the top corner of the net.

Vegas was bounced in the first round in a seven-game loss to the Dallas Stars. Hertl scored once and was minus-6, a shell of the player he’s been historically. It’s different now. Healthy, he’s a player who gives defensemen nightmares in the attacking zone, a raging bull that can’t be controlled and only occasionally contained.

The Vegas Golden Knights came into Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild with a 9-2-0 record in playoff openers and improved to 10-2-0 with a 4-2 win on April 20.