Golden Knights’ special teams spark turnaround as road trip reaches midpoint

The Vegas Golden Knights have secured three of four points through the first two games of their four-game road trip, driven by surging special teams. Vegas defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 on Tuesday behind two power-play goals from Tomas Hertl, including the game-winner with 35 seconds remaining. The victory followed a shootout loss to Boston, marking a turnaround after losing five of their previous six games.

Vegas went a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill against Pittsburgh, successfully denying a late third-period 5-on-3 disadvantage without conceding a shot on goal. Rookie Trevor Connelly scored the game-tying goal, tying him for the NHL rookie lead with six goals, while Mitch Marner extended his point streak to 11 games. Goaltender Adin Hill made 23 saves as Vegas improved to 10-5-2 ahead of Thursday's game against the Detroit Red Wings.