Tomas Hertl's Late Goal Lifts Golden Knights Past Penguins

Tomas Hertl tipped home the winner with 32 seconds left in regulation, his second power-play goal of the night, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena. It's just the second win in Pittsburgh in Golden Knights franchise history.

Vegas needed this one. The Golden Knights were coming off a shootout loss in Boston the night before, and they'd just killed a late 5-on-3 Penguins power play before Hertl's goal. They're now 10-5-2, while Pittsburgh's dropped three straight and seven of its last nine to fall to 5-8-2.

How Hertl Won It

The sequence was wild. Right after Vegas survived the two-man disadvantage and the teams got back to even strength, Pittsburgh forward Tommy Novak went to the box for tripping. Mark Stone found Hertl in front, and Hertl redirected it past Arturs Silovs. That's the kind of goal Hertl's made a career on.

It was his sixth goal of the season. His first one came late in the first period and was the only scoring through 40 minutes, with Mitch Marner picking up the primary assist. That pushed Marner's points streak to 11 games. Both of Hertl's goals came on the power play, and that was the difference.

Pittsburgh's Third-Period Push Fell Short

The Penguins made it interesting. Novak and Rickard Rakell scored in the third to flip a one-goal deficit into a Pittsburgh lead, and Rakell's now scored in four straight games. Trevor Connelly answered with a breakaway goal with 8:41 left to tie it, and then the penalties took over.

Novak had a goal and an assist, but his tripping call is going to sting. Silovs stopped 20 shots, and Adin Hill made 23 saves for Vegas. Pittsburgh played without Evgeni Malkin, who sat out with a lower-body injury, and Sidney Crosby didn't record a point. He's still tied with Marcel Dionne for sixth on the NHL's all-time points list at 1,771.

The rematch was a lot closer than the first meeting a little over two weeks ago, when Vegas drilled Pittsburgh in Las Vegas. That's a small win for the Penguins, but they're running out of time to turn close losses into points.

What's Next

The Golden Knights keep their road trip going Thursday in Detroit. Pittsburgh hosts Boston on Thursday, and Crosby's next point will move him past Dionne for sole possession of sixth all time.

For Vegas fans, this is the kind of win that keeps a road trip from going sideways. Back-to-back, tired legs, a 5-on-3 kill and a late winner. You'll take it.

Smacktok pick lean: Lean higher on Marner's points Thursday at Detroit. He's on an 11-game points streak and is feeding the Vegas power play.