PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mark Friedman's first goal in 10 months early in the third period broke open a tie game and Bryan Rust's 20th goal of the season provided some late cushion as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 on Friday night.
Friedman, a defenseman who has bounced in and out of the lineup this season,
Rust's power-play marker with just over 5 minutes remaining after the Penguins killed off back-to-back penalties sent the Golden Knights to their third straight loss.
Evan Rodrigues added an empty-net goal to seal it. Mike Matheson and Jeff Carter also scored for the Penguins. Tristan Jarry withstood a massive push by Vegas in the second period on his way to 39 saves as Pittsburgh slipped by the idle New York Rangers and into second place in the crowded Metropolitan Division.
Jake Eichel scored his fourth goal in less than a month since making his Vegas debut. Alex Pietrangelo added his eighth of the season and Jonathan Marchessault added two assists. Brossoit made 28 stops for Vegas.
The Penguins have been notoriously slow starters of late, particularly at home, where they came in having had the lead after the first period just once in their last 11 games at PPG Paints Arena.
Not this time. They jumped on the Golden Knights immediately, hemming Vegas in its end for extended stretches and finally breaking through when Matheson — fresh of a stint on injured reserve with an upper-body injury — took a pretty cross-ice feed from Crosby and ripped a shot from the circle by Brossoit with just 1:04 left in the first.
Carter doubled the advantage 2:36 into the second. Brossoit denied a breakaway by Brock McGinn, but Carter raced in to poke in the rebound after Brossoit lost track of it. Rookie Valtteri Puustinen, making his NHL debut after struggling Kasperi Kapanen was a healthy scratch before what would have been his 300th NHL game, picked up the secondary assist.
The deficit seemed to bring the Golden Knights to life. A night after getting booed mercilessly in his first game in Buffalo since his trade out west, the second overall pick in the 2015 draft and former Sabres franchise savior picked up his fourth goal of the season when he pounced on a loose puck in front of the crease and fired it by Jarry less than 2 minutes after Carter's score.
Pietrangelo pulled Vegas even just before the gamé's midway point when three Penguins drifted over to Marchessault on the rush, letting Pietrangelo skate by Crosby and run free in the slot. Marchessault slid a pretty pass to Pietrangelo, who easily beat Jarry.
The Golden Knights kept coming at the Penguins in waves, outshooting Pittsburgh 22-7 in the second period. Only some steady play by Jarry kept the Penguins in it.
UP NEXT
Knights: Continue their road trip Sunday when they play at Columbus.
Penguins: Meet Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina for the third time in eight games when the Hurricanes visit on Sunday. Carolina has won each of the first two meetings.
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