The Vegas Golden Knights tallied their eighth win in nine games with a 3-1 victory against the Buffalo Sabres at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.
Jack Eichel had a goal and an assist. Mark Stone and Tanner Laczynski also scored, while Tanner Pearson had two assists for Vegas (27-9-3). Adin Hill made 23 saves in the win.
“It’s just the details in our game. We understand you’re not going to have your best every night. Whether you’re not going to have your best legs or the puck’s not going to feel great, but we found different ways to win and different guys have stepped up,” Eichel said. “ “Obviously we have a ton of confidence in both our goaltenders and our defensemen. We just try and play to our structure as well as we can every night. That gives us a chance to win. Obviously, we have good players that make good plays.”
Stone’s 600th Point
Stone’s goal at 12:23 of the first period marked NHL career point No. 600 for Stone.
“So cool for ‘Stoney.’ Well-deserved. He means so much to this group and this organization,” Eichel said. “Anybody that knows ‘Stoney’ knows how much he loves the game, and he’s never cheated for points or for offense. It’s always been defense, structure and putting the team first. So happy for him. It’s an amazing accomplishment. I’m sure he’s looking forward to the next however many he gets.”
Laczynski Comes in Hot
Lazcynski’s goal was his first since Dec. 5, 2022. He played in place of Victor Olofsson, who missed the game due to illness.
“He’s been good down in Henderson, so we’re trying to reward and play him,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Big goal for him. Happy for him, right? Different guys are contributing for us, especially in this run. He got it going to the net. Wasn’t lucky. It was good play. Good play all around.”
Pearson’s Impact
Pearson moved to the top line at the end of the Golden Knights 5-2 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
He played exceptionally well with Eichel and Stone, providing them with a play similar to usual linemate Ivan Barbashev, who is out with an upper-body injury.
“’Pierce’ is probably closer to ‘Barbie’ than the others. He has a bigger body. He’s good on the walls,” Cassidy said. “Not blazing speed, but good IQ and good enough composure to get pucks off. … That’s been his calling card in the league since he’s found himself in the league. He can finish plays. He was a scoring winger in junior. Did it in Manchester and, obviously, production in L.A. But he’s always been a bigger guy and good on the walls. I mean, that’s the area we see close to ‘Barbie,’ so that’s one of the reasons we made the switch the other night.”
Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.
