The Vegas Golden Knights returned to the win column with a 4-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday night at Nationwide Arena.
It marked the first time the Blue Jackets have been shut out at home all season.
Vegas (39-19-7) snapped a two-game losing skid (0-1-1) and moved to 1-0-1 on their current four-game road trip.
Jack Eichel set a new franchise record with his 79th point of the season, and Adin Hill stopped 27 of 27 shots for his fourth shutout of the year.
It was another slow start for the Golden Knights, as Columbus dominated possession in the first period. However, Hill turned aside all 14 shots he faced, and the Golden Knights took a surprising 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
The Golden Knights didn’t even record a shot on goal at 5-on-5 until the final minute of the period, but they capitalized on their chances.
It took 12 minutes, but on Vegas’ first shot attempt of the frame, Nicolas Roy scored his first power-play goal of the season to give Vegas a 1-0 lead. Roy finished the tic-tac-toe play with Tomas Hertl and Eichel, who found Roy in front for the one-timer.
The assist was Eichel’s 79th point of the season, which set a new franchise record for most points in a single season. Eichel moved past William Karlsson, who held the previous record of 78 since 2017-18.
When asked about the milestone during intermission, Eichel was primarily focused on the matchup.
“I’ve been the benefactor of some great hockey and a lot of great teammates, so I have them to thank for that. Just trying to get two points tonight.”
The Golden Knights took a double-minor for high-sticking at 14:13, setting up an extended power play for the Blue Jackets in the second half of the period. However, Vegas’ special teams came through with an excellent kill, and the Golden Knights lit the lamp less than a minute later.
Brandon Saad scored his third goal in the last four games when he beat Elvis Merzlikins on a slick backhand shot with less than a minute left in the first. Saad roofed a rebound in tight after outworking Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov down low. Reilly Smith and Roy assisted on the goal.
The Blue Jackets led 32-9 in shot attempts and 14-6 in shots in the first period, but the Golden Knights led 2-0 where it mattered.
Vegas was much better in the second period.
Merzlikins had to come up with two big stops on grade-A scoring chances by Roy and Saad. The Columbus netminder was the difference early, but the Golden Knights would not be denied and later extended their lead almost exactly one period after opening the scoring.
Pavel Dorofeyev made it 3-0 with his 26th of the year after being left wide open in transition. Hertl set up the play after slowing down the rush and finding the streaking Dorofeyev at 12:17.
The Golden Knights closed out the win in the third period. Hill made some key stops, and Alex Pietrangelo scored an empty-net goal from 195 feet away to seal it.
The Golden Knights got the goaltending they needed, especially early. Hill was excellent in a much-needed bounceback effort after surrendering six goals against Los Angeles on Sunday.
“I thought we did a good job just bearing down in that first period,” Hill said. “They had a lot of pressure early, and we had a couple clutch penalty kills there, and we just kind of [rode] that momentum through the second and third periods and just stuck with our game.”
Hill is 5-1-0 in his last six starts.
The Golden Knights were opportunistic all night, and the power play provided a spark, as it has all year. Vegas didn’t take a penalty in the second and third periods, where the play was much more evenly-matched after a one-sided first.
The Golden Knights were much better defensively after a lackluster effort against Los Angeles and an inconsistent outing in Pittsburgh, and there were a number of players who had standout performances. Roy, in particular, had an impressive night. Not only did he score the game-winner and come away two points, but he continued to test Merzlikins and could have had three or four goals.
Saad and Hertl also had multi-point efforts, with Saad scoring an important insurance marker late in the first.
The Golden Knights now hold a seven-point lead over the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division.
The Golden Knights will wrap up the road trip with a back-to-back against the Sabres and Red Wings this weekend, starting Saturday morning (9:30 a.m. PT) in Buffalo.