Kasperi Kapanen’s tiebreaking goal midway through the third period on Thursday gave the Pittsburgh Penguins a 4-3 win over the visiting Vegas Golden Knights.
At 3-3, Kapanen got a centering pass from behind the net by Brock McGinn and blasted the puck inside the right post at 9:25. It was his first goal in 14 games, a stretch that included time as a healthy scratch.
Kapanen, McGinn and Jake Guentzel each had a goal and an assist, and Rickard Rakell also scored for the Penguins, who have points in seven of their past eight games.
Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry made 34 saves.
Jack Eichel had a goal and an assist, and Reilly Smith and Shea Theodore also scored for the Golden Knights, who have lost three of four.
Vegas goaltender Logan Thompson made 43 saves.
Both teams were without their top defenseman.
Pittsburgh played without Kris Letang, who, it was revealed Wednesday, had a stroke. Vegas was without Alex Pietrangelo, who missed a second game in a row for personal reasons
The Golden Knights took a 1-0 lead at 3:59 of the first as Eichel, from above the left corner of the crease, converted a pass from Mark Stone.
Smith increased that to 2-0 at 17:59 with a power-play goal. Phil Kessel, from the left-wing boards, got cross-zone pass through to Smith, who scored short side from the right circle.
McGinn cut it to 2-1 at 2:23 of the second when he carried the puck out from behind the net to the right circle, and his shot went in off a Vegas player in front.
The Penguins tied it at 13:07 of the second. Rakell deflected a shot from the left circle by Guentzel.
Vegas got its second power-play goal 1:26 into the third and regained the lead, 3-2. Theodore’s shot from the point went in off Penguins defenseman Jan Rutta.
Guentzel tied it up during a four-on-three power play when he ripped a shot short side from the right dot.
–Field Level Media
