The Golden Knights left Pittsburgh with a 3-2 win Tuesday night, snapping back into the win column at PPG Paints Arena and improving to 10-5-2. The Penguins fell to 5-8-2.
Vegas did its early damage on the power play late in the first period. Jack Eichel worked the puck up top to Mitch Marner, who sent it down the middle for Tomas Hertl, and Hertl finished with a back-handed deflection. That goal gave the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead and stood as the first power-play goal Pittsburgh has allowed at home this season.
The score held there until the third period, when the game opened up fast. Pittsburgh tied it early on a goal by Tommy Novak, who buried a pass in front from Kaedan Korczak. Rickard Rakell then put the Penguins ahead for their first lead of the night with a top-shelf finish.
Vegas answered two minutes later. Trevor Connelly took off on a breakaway, cut to his right, and slipped a backhand past Arturs Silovs to make it 2-2. It was the sixth goal of the rookie’s season.
The finish belonged to Hertl again. With 23 seconds left, Mark Stone held the puck long enough for Hertl to get into the blue paint, then fed it across for Hertl’s second power-play goal of the game and the eventual winner.
Adin Hill backed it up in net, stopping 23 of 25 shots to move to 6-2-0 on the season.
Hertl led the way with the two-goal night, while Connelly’s tying goal gave him six on the year. Eichel added two assists, giving him a multi-point performance, and Hill finished with a .920 save percentage.
There were a few notable numbers attached to the win. Hertl’s first-period goal was Vegas’ 18th of the opening frame, tying the club for second in the league.
Connelly’s sixth goal tied him for first among rookies. Eichel’s two points pushed him to 22 on the season, tying him for seventh in league scoring.
Marner extended his point streak to 11 straight games. Stone’s assist on the winner was his 71st game-winner factor, a VGK franchise record.
The Golden Knights continue their road trip Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena at 4 p.m. PT.
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Sabres Fans Get A Painful Reminder Of The Jack Eichel Trade
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What made the deal sting even more for Sabres fans was what came next in Las Vegas. Eichel returned to form, became a major piece for the Golden Knights and helped them capture their first Stanley Cup in the 2022-23 season, while Buffalo tried to turn the draft capital into help but kept running into the same old problems in the standings. [Read more 🡒]