Ilya Samsonov made 22 saves to shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 4-0 Vegas Golden Knights victory at T-Mobile Arena on Friday.
Mark Stone had a goal and two assists. Tanner Pearson had a goal and an assist. Ivan Barbashev and Brandon Saad also scored for the Golden Knights (38-18-6), who have won four in a row.
“Shutout is good for the team,” Samsonov said. “We’ll get to come to tomorrow for practice and everybody gets to smile. It’s more easy for us.”
Jack Eichel set a new career-high in assists with a secondary assist in the third period. He also played in his 600th career NHL game.
Samsonov Regains Form
Samsonov earned his second shutout of the season, which was his 15th career NHL shutout against the Penguins.
It was a return to form for the goalie, as he hasn’t been at his best in the last two outings. Samsonov gave up 10 goals in two games, so it was important to get him into a game and have him play well to restore confidence in his game.
“He needed a game,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “The last two [starts] didn’t go as well as he would like. We’re all in agreement on that. You’re going to have ups and downs during the season, so we all get that. We understand that, and how do you to respond. He responded well. It’s OK to show a little emotion in practice, too. It’s a frustrating position; it’s a lonely position some days, too. That’s fine. Just channel it the right way when you do that. Bring it to the table when it’s puck drop. He did all of that, so good response from him.”
Samsonov credits goaltending coach Sean Burke for working with him during the rough patch.
“I have a couple bad games,” Samsonov said. “You need to take a couple steps back to move forward. We just discussed a lot about my game and what he wanted to see in this game.”
Misfit Returns To Golden Knights
Reilly Smith played in his first game in a Golden Knights uniform for the first time in a year and a half. He last lifted the Stanley Cup as a member of the Golden Knights before moving to Pittsburgh and New York.
It also happened to be Smith’s 400th game in a Golden Knights uniform.
Smith was acquired on Thursday for Brendan Brisson and a 2025 third-round pick, and got into town at 1:30 a.m. He played 14:19 and had one shot on goal.
“A long day and a half. Definitely working on a lot of adrenaline and coffee, but pretty special and happy to be part of it,” Smith said. “Obviously, it’s a big win for this team and we take that and move on.”
Saad Shining
Saad scored his 10th goal of the season – his third as a Golden Knight at 2:00 of the third period to help cushion the Golden Knights lead.
He has five points in 10 games with Vegas after spending the first 43 with the St. Louis Blues. Saad scored 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) with the Blues this season.
“He’s been himself, as advertised,” Cassidy said. “He’s a guy that brings offense, and he’s consistently been a 20-goal scorer in this league. Good speed. Plays a pretty direct game, can help you on special teams, so he’s done all that. He’s been a good fit wherever he is.
“Just been himself. That was the ask. That’s what he wanted to do: come here and help the team win, get to play his minutes, and be relied on to be a piece of the puzzle.”
Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.
