Pavel Dorofeyev scored a power-play goal with just over three minutes left to break a tie, and the Vegas Golden Knights rallied past the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 on Friday night for their fifth consecutive victory.
Victor Olofsson scored twice for Vegas, overcoming a three-goal performance by Chicago’s Ryan Donato — his first NHL hat trick. Mark Stone contributed a goal and an assist, Brett Howden added an empty-net goal, and William Karlsson recorded three assists. Adin Hill made 18 net saves for the Golden Knights.
Ilya Mikheyev tallied two assists, and Spencer Knight stopped 17 shots for the Blackhawks, who have dropped nine of their last 10 games (1-8-1) and sit at the bottom of the Central Division.
Dorofeyev’s game-winner — his 31st goal of the season — came on a one-timer from the right circle during Vegas’ second power-play opportunity after Teuvo Teravainen was called for hooking.
Donato, who entered the season with a career-high of 16 goals in any year, now leads the Blackhawks with 28. He opened the scoring by knocking in a rebound late in the first period, then added two more goals just 15 seconds apart late in the second to give Chicago a 3-2 lead.
Stone and Olofsson had put Vegas ahead in the second with goals just 53 seconds apart. Olofsson tied the game early in the third, ringing a rising shot off the crossbar and in.
Game Takeaways
Golden Knights: Vegas played without top goal-scorer Tomas Hertl (upper-body injury) and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (lower-body injury) but still maintained its winning streak.
Blackhawks: Chicago came out aggressive and energetic but failed to capitalize on key chances, despite Donato’s breakout night.
Key Moment
Hill made a crucial point-blank stop on Frank Nazar with just over seven minutes to play, keeping the game tied before Dorofeyev’s go-ahead goal.
Key Stat
At 44-20-8 with 96 points, the Golden Knights are inching closer to securing their fifth division title in eight seasons.
Looking Ahead
Vegas travels to Nashville on Saturday, while Chicago returns home to host Utah on Sunday.
