LAS VEGAS — Tomas Hertl found the net once again, contributing to the Vegas Golden Knights` 4-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.
Building on his momentum from the previous game where he achieved a hat trick, Hertl scored his team-leading 31st goal in the first period, boosting Vegas to a 2-0 advantage.
Earlier in the first, Nic Roy initiated the scoring with his 11th goal of the season, followed by Jack Eichel`s 24th, extending the Golden Knights` lead to 3-0. Nic Hague sealed the victory with an empty-net goal. Goaltender Ilya Samsonov was solid in net, making 35 saves in his 199th NHL appearance.
For the Lightning, Nick Paul and Nikita Kucherov each managed to score, while Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 26 shots.
Key Points
Lightning: Tampa Bay concluded a three-game road stint, which included a 6-4 defeat to the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday. They have now suffered losses in five of their last eight games.
Golden Knights: Vegas has shown strong form, going 11-3-2 since February 6, earning 24 points, which ranks fifth in the league during this period.
Crucial Moment: Hertl, who has been prolific at home with seven goals in the past four games, exited the game in the third period due to an apparent upper-body injury after a collision with Tampa Bay`s Emil Lilleberg, who received a penalty for boarding.
Stat to Note: Despite both teams possessing highly-rated power play units (Vegas 2nd, Tampa Bay 5th in the NHL), they collectively converted only 2 of 8 power play opportunities.
Looking Ahead: The Golden Knights will commence a three-game road trip starting in Minnesota on Tuesday, while the Lightning will kick off a three-game home series hosting Pittsburgh.