ST. PAUL, Minn. — Numbers bear it out. The statistics don’t lie.

It’s obvious: The top line of the Golden Knights hasn’t played well in this best-of-seven series against Minnesota.

The trio of Ivan Barbashev, Jack Eichel and Mark Stone has produced nothing in a series the Knights trail 2-1 with Game 4 looming at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday.

It has been a serious mismatch, those three against the top line of the Wild — specifically wingers Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov.

It’s true there were better looks for the Knights in Game 3. Better chances. But they mostly came on the power play, and nothing materialized. The Knights were 0-for-4 with the man advantage. Players like Eichel and Stone didn’t get the second and third chances they desperately needed,

“You need to hold each other accountable,” Stone said. “Obviously, our top guys need to be a little bit better. I feel like we’re getting there, but at the end of the day, you have to execute to help your team win a hockey game. We haven’t been able to do that. We’ve had some good looks but didn’t score. We need to execute at a higher level.”

It’s a playoff series, which usually means a small sample size. The trio could very well come out Saturday and put up numbers good enough to win. Those chances could suddenly find themselves in the back of the net.

But the Wild might continue to have something to say about it.

The Knights’ top line hasn’t had near enough sustained offensive zone time as it would prefer. It’s good off the rush with Eichel’s speed, but such opportunities haven’t presented themselves outside of Game 1.

Take the middle away, you take away Barbashev’s chances at getting in front of the net. Stone also likes it there. You take away space for Eichel to create and force the Knights to play from the outside.

It has been a frustrating truth for sure.

Wildly outshot

They need to protect pucks more. Hang on to them longer. Not defer as much to their defensemen. Regain possession from that initial chance and then make a play.

“I think you always want to look back and see what you did wrong, make adjustments that can help the group,” Eichel said. “I think there’s things we can do differently to try and create more offense and limit their chances.”

What might surprise you: The trio has only been outscored 1-0 in five-on-five through three games. But it’s being outshot at a hefty rate.

Eichel has been outshot 15-5 when on the ice with Kaprizov, who has two goals in such situations.

With Boldy, shots are 17-4, and he has scored three times when on the ice with Eichel.

The Knights’ top line is the team’s worst in terms of shots.

Kaprizov and Boldy have combined for eight goals and 13 points.

Barbashev-Eichel-Stone: Zero.

“I think they’re right there,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I can tell you that, but until it happens, it has to happen. … Unfortunately, the offensive side hasn’t come as much as we’d like, but they’re too good a players not to recognize that they have to be better. I expect they’ll come around. We need them.

“You need the rest of the group to pull them along until they get going. But there’s more of a microscope on them. That happens.”

No panic

He was pleased how well they were engaged physically throughout Game 3, how they didn’t shy away from contact. Barbashev alone had 11 of the team’s 42 hits.

But they need far more from the three. They need their names on a scoresheet.

“It’s a playoff series, right?” Stone said. “Luckily, you have to beat us four times and not twice. The series isn’t over. It’s 2-1. Would you like to be up 2-1 or 3-0? Of course. Who wouldn’t? But it’s never a bad thing to go play through a little adversity and work a little harder to get what you want. What we want is Game 4.”

Then it would help greatly if his line added any offense. If it finished those opportunities.

If it resembled the team’s top players.

You know, like the Wild has.

Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at [email protected]. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.