Adin Hill delivered an outstanding performance with 27 saves, securing his fourth shutout of the season and the 11th of his NHL career as the Vegas Golden Knights dominated the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-0 on Thursday night.
Nicolas Roy and Brandon Saad each contributed a goal and an assist, while Pavel Dorofeyev also found the back of the net. Tomas Hertl played a key role, providing two assists for Vegas.
Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins made 25 saves, but the Blue Jackets struggled offensively, dropping their second consecutive game and their fourth in the last five outings.
Roy opened the scoring for Vegas on a power play, converting a feed from Jack Eichel at the 12-minute mark of the first period. Despite Columbus taking 18 total shots—including eight on goal—before the Golden Knights even registered their first, Vegas struck first.
Saad extended the lead to 2-0 with just under a minute left in the opening period. Dorofeyev then made it 3-0 at 12:17 of the second. Alex Pietrangelo sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the third period.
Game Takeaways
Golden Knights: Brandon Saad continues to make an impact since signing as a free agent on January 31. He has now tallied three goals in his last four games and has scored five times in 13 appearances with Vegas.
Blue Jackets: Columbus returned home after a challenging 1-3-0 road trip, but their struggles continued as they opened a four-game homestand with a tough loss.
Key Moment
The Blue Jackets had an opportunity to tie the game at 1-1 when Dorofeyev was penalized with a double minor for high-sticking at 14:13 of the first period. However, Columbus failed to capitalize, managing just one quality scoring chance. Meanwhile, Vegas generated two shorthanded shots during the successful penalty kill, and shortly after, Saad’s goal made it 2-0, shifting the momentum in favor of the Golden Knights.
Key Stat
Jack Eichel extended his point streak to seven games with an assist, bringing his total to 79 points this season (20 goals, 59 assists). With that, he set a new franchise record for points in a single season, surpassing William Karlsson’s 78-point performance (43 goals, 35 assists) in the 2017-18 season.
Looking Ahead
Both teams return to action on Saturday. The Blue Jackets will host the New York Rangers, while the Golden Knights will travel to face the Buffalo Sabres.
