Golden Knights get back on track with win against Penguins

LAS VEGAS -- Pavel Dorofeyev had two goals and an assist to help the Vegas Golden Knights end a three-game losing streak with a 6-2 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday.

Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel each had a goal and an assist, and Braeden Bowman had two assists for the Golden Knights (30-22-14), who were 1-6-0 in their previous seven games. Adin Hill made 24 saves.

“We kept the foot down, we didn’t give any time or space when they did make plays," Marner said. "We did a really good job at staying focused with what we had to do, focus on our game. It’s something we can build on and keep working on.”

Rickard Rakell and Ben Kindel scored, and Ryan Shea had two assists for the Penguins (32-18-15), who have lost five of their past six games (1-3-2). Arturs Silovs made 11 saves.

“We gave some really good shooters some really clean looks there tonight,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said. "As a team, we can be better than that.”

Colton Sissons gave the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead at 8:41 of the first period, tapping in a backhand pass from Bowman at the right post after Parker Wotherspoon turned the puck over while chasing a dump-in.

“It started from a good face-off execution,” Bowman said. “We won it back, we had the high flip in mind, and then [Brett Howden] puts pressure on the 'D.' The puck was just sitting there for me, and it was [Sissons] with a nice goal.”

Dorofeyev extended the lead to 2-0 at 5:02 of the second period. He took a pass below the right circle and roofed a wrist shot over Silovs from close range.

Rakell cut it to 2-1 at 8:26. He got his stick inside on Brayden McNabb and redirected in Bryan Rust's backdoor pass at the right post.

Marner answered back to put Vegas ahead 3-1 at 9:20. Penguins forward Connor Dewar sent a backhand pass in the neutral zone right to Marner, who skated in and dropped the puck to Dorofeyev. Marner then quickly received a return pass while skating toward the net and tucked a shot past the outstretched glove of Silovs.

“He made a great play back,” Marner said of Dorofeyev. “I was lucky enough to make a move."

Kindel made it 3-2 at 16:22 off a backdoor pass from Anthony Mantha, who found him crashing the right post. Mantha has 49 points this season (24 goals, 25 assists in 65 games), an NHL career high.

“I don’t think we were out of the game or in any sense getting dominated whatsoever,” Shea said. “We got two huge goals in the second. The second period is kind of a template we need to play with. That’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to get opportunities, and then the third period just came up.”

Dorofeyev pushed the lead to 4-2 at 4:35 of the third period, one-timing a pass from Marner in the slot on a 3-on-2 rush.

“He’s very good at finding that quiet ice,” Marner said. “You just try and put it on a silver spoon for him, and he usually puts those ones in.”

Eichel made it 5-2 at 6:20 with a wrist shot from the high slot that went just under the crossbar, and McNabb added an empty-net goal at 19:01 for the 6-2 final.

“Guys played well,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We were opportunistic offensively. We needed that. It’s been a while since we cashed in on quality chances at that pace.”

Golden Knights captain Mark Stone returned after missing five games with an upper-body injury. He was plus-2 in 17:52 of ice time.

“Mark coming back ... balances out things a little easier for everybody,” Cassidy said.