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.

Center Tomas Hertl returned to the lineup for the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night against the Seattle Kraken. Hertl led the Golden Knights in goals and was a key player in Vegas’ high-performing power play before getting injured while being slammed into the boards by Tampa Bay defenseman Emil Lilleberg in the Golden Knights’ 4-2 victory over the Lightning on March 23.