Samsonov stops 22 shots and Golden Knights top Penguins 4-0 for fourth straight win

LAS VEGAS -- — Ilya Samsonov made 22 saves for his 15th career shutout and second this season, Mark Stone had a goal and two assists and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0 on Friday night.

Tanner Pearson had a goal and an assist, while Ivan Barbashev and Brandon Saad also scored for the Golden Knights, who have won four straight.

Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 23 shots for the Penguins, who lost their fourth straight and have dropped eight of their last nine.

The night was punctuated by the return of the Golden Knights' Reilly Smith, an original member of Vegas’ expansion roster in 2017. Smith helped the Knights win the Stanley Cup in 2023 and was traded to Pittsburgh less than a month after the finals.

Takeaways

Penguins: Evgeni Malkin became the fifth Russian-born player in NHL history to reach the 1,200-game milestone. Malkin ranks second on the team to only Sidney Crosby (1,335) for games played.

Golden Knights: While Smith played in his 400th game as a member of the Golden Knights, it was also the 899th game of his career. Also reaching a new milestone was Jack Eichel, who played in his 600th career game.

Key moment

Exactly two minutes into the third period, Saad raced into the offensive zone and fired a wrist shot past Nedeljkovic from the top of the right circle to give Vegas a 3-0 lead and essentially deflated the Penguins’ aspirations of making a comeback.

Key stat

With his three-point night, Stone has 54 points (17 goals and 37 assists) this season, topping his total from last season. Stone finished the 2023-24 season with 53 points (16 goals, 37 assists).

Up next

Vegas hosts Los Angeles on Sunday. The Penguins visit Minnesota on Sunday.

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