Golden Knights vs. Penguins: Mark Stone's Three-Point Night Pushes Vegas to 8-2

The Vegas Golden Knights did most of their damage before the Penguins' legs had warmed up, and by the end of Saturday night the Strip had another blowout to talk about.

Mark Stone scored and set up two goals, Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner had two assists apiece, and the Golden Knights beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-2 at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas improved to 8-2-0, and according to the AP, the only other times this franchise opened 8-2, it went on to play in the Stanley Cup Final.

Four Minutes, Two Goals, Zero Mercy

Eichel played the role of quarterback early. At 1:06, he found Rasmus Andersson driving toward the net, and the defenseman snapped a shot home from the right circle. Less than three minutes later, Eichel carried the puck through the neutral zone on the rush and slid it across to Noah Hanifin on the weak side, and Hanifin buried it at 4:02. Two defensemen, two goals, one very generous passer.

"We've had good starts, gotten out to leads and transition games working well. We're getting pucks to the net and making plays," Eichel said. "The D are getting involved."

Jeremy Lauzon and Declan Carlile dropped the gloves at 5:39, but even a fight could not change the flow. Sidney Crosby went to the box for tripping Marner at 15:57, and Vegas made him pay. Trevor Connelly fired a shot toward the net and Stone redirected it with his skate at 17:46, a goal that held up after video review, for a 3-0 lead after one.

That goal gave Stone back-to-back three-point periods, per NHL.com. In his previous game, a 6-2 win over Calgary on Thursday, the Vegas captain scored a natural hat trick in the third period. At this point, the scoring summary should just come with his headshot pre-loaded.

"It (stinks) being down 3-0 after the first," Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson said. "That's a tough battle to win against a team like this."

The Turning Point: Crosby's Milestone, Then a Vegas Answer

Pittsburgh got life early in the second. Hanifin was called for interference at 5:33, and 21 seconds later Crosby tipped a Tommy Novak shot past Adin Hill on the power play. According to the AP, it was the 657th goal of Crosby's career, breaking a tie with Brendan Shanahan for 14th in NHL history. A milestone night for one of the sport's all-time greats, and a 3-1 game.

Then Vegas took the air right back out. Just 71 seconds after Crosby scored, Connelly went top shelf off the rush to make it 4-1 at 7:05. Shea Theodore hammered a one-timer off a Brayden McNabb pass at 11:17 for a 5-1 lead, and that was the ballgame.

"He's a great player. He's a skilled little guy, and he battles too," Andersson said of Connelly.

Evgeni Malkin cut it to 5-2 at 4:43 of the third, poking home a loose puck in the crease with Hill caught out of position. Brett Howden closed the scoring at 17:47, when he was awarded a goal after being pulled down on a breakaway.

Stone, Eichel, Marner and the Rookie

Mark Stone finished with a goal, two assists and a plus-2 in 14:49. He now has seven goals on the season.

Jack Eichel played his 700th NHL game and celebrated with two primary assists on the first two goals, both on slick cross-ice passes.

Mitch Marner added two assists and extended his point streak to six games, with one goal and eight assists in that run, per NHL.com.

Trevor Connelly had a goal and an assist, and NHL.com said his four goals lead all NHL rookies. Not a bad way to introduce yourself to a fan base.

Adin Hill made 22 saves and improved to 4-0, according to the AP.

For Pittsburgh, Crosby and Malkin scored, and Novak assisted on both. Sergei Murashov made 14 saves on 19 shots.

Stats That Matter

• Efficiency: Vegas put 19 shots on goal and beat Murashov on five of them. Pittsburgh outshot Vegas 24-19 and lost by four.
• Hits: Vegas out-hit Pittsburgh 27-10, which tells you who was imposing their will.
• Special teams: Both teams went 1-for-1 on the power play.
• Blue line offense: Andersson, Hanifin and Theodore all scored, and McNabb finished plus-4.
• Scoring binge: NHL.com said Vegas has scored six goals in back-to-back games and 17 during a three-game winning streak.

What It Means

Vegas sits at 8-2-0 with 16 points and has won seven of its past eight. The AP noted that the two previous 8-2 starts in franchise history came in 2018 under Gerard Gallant and in 2023 under Bruce Cassidy, and both seasons ended in the Stanley Cup Final. History does not guarantee anything, but it is a fun stat to print on a T-shirt. The Golden Knights host Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

Pittsburgh is 3-5-1 and has lost three straight, all on a four-game road trip that has gone 0-3 with the Penguins outscored 16-7, according to the AP. Coach Dan Muse put it on everybody, including himself. "We can't be feeling bad for ourselves. It's on all of us, myself included," he said. "So together as a group, we got to dig in." The Penguins finish the trip in Utah on Monday.

Murashov had the quote of the night from the losing side. "They're really smart with the puck. They manage it," he said. "They're looking for opportunities, really high-scoring chances, not just throwing it in the net."

Closing Take

Crosby's 657th goal will be remembered long after this game is forgotten, and that is fitting for a legend climbing the all-time list. But on the scoreboard, this was the Vegas show from the opening puck drop. If the Golden Knights are writing a sequel to their 2018 and 2023 runs, the first act looks like a highlight reel with a very loud soundtrack. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, needs to find its structure before this trip becomes a full-blown horror film.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Postgame quotes and notes from NHL.com; additional reporting from the Associated Press.