Rookie Brendan Brisson, who grew up idolizing Penguins stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, played against his heroes in his third NHL game Saturday night. His father, Pat, is a top NHL agent and represents Crosby.
Despite the nostalgic connections, Brisson set aside any sentimental feelings and scored his first NHL goal, a crucial game-winner, to lift the Vegas Golden Knights to a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. With his parents in the stands, the 22-year-old notched the decisive goal midway through the third period.
“Just to play against those guys was super special,” Brisson said. “I was a little nervous before the game. In warmups, I was looking over at their end and looking at Sid, but it was awesome to get my first NHL goal against them.”
Brisson, the 29th overall pick in the 2020 draft, dons No. 19, previously worn by Reilly Smith, an original Knights player traded to the Penguins in the offseason. After his goal from the slot, Brisson celebrated with a knee slide and was swarmed by his teammates.
“It’s awesome to see the excitement, the smile on their face, the fans be thunderous for him,” Vegas center Chandler Stephenson said. “It’s something you dream of. I know for me, it was something to get (the first goal) out of the way, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Briss starts playing better.”
The Knights have won five of their last seven games, ending Pittsburgh’s four-game point streak.
Jonathan Marchessault and Pavel Dorofeyev also scored for Vegas, and Logan Thompson made 23 saves in front of a crowd that included New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Ryan Graves and Jake Guentzel scored for the Penguins, while Tristan Jarry stopped 26 shots.
Following a scoreless first period, the Penguins fired 14 shots at Thompson in the second. Graves scored off Thompson’s back midway through the period, and Guentzel added another from the right circle with 5:59 left.
Erik Karlsson assisted on Graves’ goal, extending his point streak to eight games (one goal, eight assists), the NHL’s longest active streak for a defenseman. Guentzel became the seventh player in Penguins history to record seven 20-goal seasons.
Vegas responded quickly in the third period, with Marchessault and Dorofeyev scoring 1:34 apart off rebounds, tying the game 6:52 into the period. Marchessault’s team-leading 20th goal marked his third consecutive game with a goal.
Brisson then netted the game-winner.
“I liked our push, and we kept pushing,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I think after it was 3-2, we also tried to get the next one. (We) didn’t sit back on our heels.”
Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan lamented missed opportunities.
“We didn’t defend hard enough,” Sullivan said. “All three of the goals were just seemingly nothing plays that ended up at the back of our net. We had numbers back. We’ve got to defend harder, and we’ve got to have some predictability in how we defend. We didn’t have it.”
Original Knight Returns
Vegas played a tribute video for Reilly Smith, a key player in last season’s Stanley Cup championship team, who scored 124 goals and 286 points in 399 games with Vegas. Traded to Pittsburgh to clear salary-cap room, Smith watched in street clothes behind the Penguins bench due to a lower-body injury. His trade helped Vegas sign goalie Adin Hill and winger Ivan Barbashev to contract extensions.
A fan favorite, Smith was also the driving force behind the annual charity softball game between the Knights and the Las Vegas Raiders.
Up Next
- Penguins: At Arizona on Monday to conclude a two-game Western road trip.
- Golden Knights: At New Jersey on Monday to begin a four-game Eastern road swing.
