After losing six of their last seven games, the Vegas Golden Knights were in desperate need of a win. Pacific Division aside, the losing streak was doing nothing for morale. Thus, Thursday’s 6-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins was exactly what the doctor ordered.
As has been the case in the past few games, the Golden Knights started strong. In the first period, they created 13 scoring chances while limiting the Penguins to six.
The Golden Knights broke the ice first at 8:41. Brett Howden forced Parker Wotherspoon into a turnover, and Colton Sissons tipped the puck over to Brayden Bowman. Bowman caught the puck, danced around Wotherspoon, and found Sissons for a back-door tap-in.
“Once we get that first [goal]That was big,” Brayden Bowman said after the game.
The Golden Knights doubled their lead just 5:02 into the second period. Pavel Dorofeyev drove the puck deep into the zone, and Tomas Hertl kept the game alive in the back of the net. Brayden Bowman blocked Pittsburgh’s first clearing attempt, and Cayden Korczak blocked the second. Korczak found Dorofeyev on the goal line, and Dorofeyev beat Artur Silovs off the gloves.
Trailing 2–0, the Penguins began to apply pressure; He came on the board at 8:26 of the second minute. Rickard Rakell got the spot over Braden McNabb; Bryan Rust received a pass for a back-door tap-in.
In recent games, the Golden Knights have struggled to stop the bleeding. They had no such problems on Thursday and responded with an own goal just 54 seconds after Raquel tallied.
The Golden Knights restored their two-goal lead at 9:20 of the second game. Mitch Marner intercepted Connor Dewar’s passing attempt, entered the zone, and executed a turnover with Pavel Dorofeyev. He received the puck above the goal crease, waited for Arturs Silovs to be out and fired it home in midair.
“He had a bit of a shock there [in the second period]Brayden Bowman said. I thought we responded well. They score, and then guys go out there and get it right back. This is a huge thing for the morale on the bench. I mean, we were up.
The Penguins cut the Golden Knights’ lead to one at 16:22 of the second minute. Ryan Shea sent a stretch-pass up the ice to Anthony Mantha, who was moving into the Vegas zone. Mantha protected the puck, deflected off Brayden Bowman and found Ben Kindel for a back-door tap-in.
The strong third period has defined the 2026 Golden Knights; Thursday was no different. Despite falling behind 11-6, they did not allow any more goals. The Golden Knights remained strong defensively and controlled 74.43% of the expected goal share.
The Golden Knights once again took a two-goal lead just 4:35 into the third minute. After a Penguins foul, Pavel Dorofeyev fouled Ville Kauvinen with the puck. Dorofeyev passed it to Mitch Marner who entered the zone. Marner returned to Dorofeyev trailing in the slot, and the winger got home his second of the night.
The Golden Knights added insult to injury at 6:20 of the third minute. Shea Theodore sent a stretch pass to Ivan Barbashev at center ice. Barbashev entered the Penguins zone, cut to the middle of the ice, and passed the puck to Jack Eichel; Eichel stepped into the slot and beat Arturs Silovs.
Despite trailing by three goals, the Penguins pulled Arturs Silovs for an extra attacker with 7:39 remaining in regulation. The Golden Knights held them to five shots on goal and Adin Hill turned them away.
Hill finished the night with 24 saves on 26 shots, a .923 save percentage and a 2.53 GSAX.
After several attempts – including Adin Hill’s bid on goal by the goalkeeper – Brayden McNabb hit the empty net with 59 seconds remaining in regulation.
Captain Mark Stone returned to the lineup after missing the previous six games due to an upper body injury.
It is no coincidence that, in their first game, the players attributed their strong performance during the 6–2 victory to the energy on the bench.
The players credited the energy on the bench for their strong performance during the 6–2 win.
“We had some good energy tonight,” Braden Bowman said after the game. “I think that’s important when we’re playing our best. We’ve got good energy on the bench, and I think that carries over onto the ice.”
#Golden #Knights #Snap #Skid #Slaughter #Penguins #Dominant #Win
