Ilya Samsonov gets 2nd shutout of season as Knights blank Penguins

Mark Stone had a goal and two assists and Ilya Samsonov made 22 saves for his second shutout of the season as the Vegas Golden Knights blanked the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0 on Friday night in Las Vegas.

Tanner Pearson had a goal and an assist and Ivan Barbashev and Brandon Saad also scored goals for Vegas, which extended its Pacific Division lead to six points over idle Edmonton with its fourth straight win and seventh in the last eight games.

It was Samsonov's 15th career shutout for and followed back-to-back games that he had allowed five goals. The Golden Knights, who last lost in regulation at T-Mobile Arena on Jan. 11 to the New York Rangers, 2-1, extended their home point streak to 10 games (7-0-3) while also improving to 24-6-3 on home ice.

Alex Nedeljkovic finished with 23 saves for Pittsburgh, which lost its fourth consecutive game and eighth in its last nine.

Vegas took a 1-0 lead at 12:58 of the first period when Stone picked up a rebound of a Zach Whitecloud shot by the right side of the net and then backhanded a pass to Pearson cutting down the slot. Pearson then fired a wrist shot into the top left corner of the goal.

Barbashev made it 2-0 early in the second period when he ripped a wrist shot from the left circle past Nedeljkovic's glove and into the top far corner of the net.

Vegas then broke the game open with two goals in within 54 seconds early in the third period.

Saad got the first when he ripped a wrist shot from the top of the right circle over the right shoulder of Nedeljkovic and into the top far corner. Stone followed when he took a Pearson pass coming down the right wing, deked Nedeljkovic and then stuffed a wrist shot inside the right post.

--Field Level Media