Golden Knights Vs Penguins: Penguins blank Vegas 5-0 in Pittsburgh

Emerson Raymont

Published: March 1, 2026 11:58 PM ET

Golden Knights Vs Penguins: Penguins blank Vegas 5-0 in Pittsburgh

In a matchup billed as golden knights vs penguins, the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-0 on March 1, 2026, a result that handed Pittsburgh its first shutout since opening night and sent Vegas into a losing skid.

Game recap: Rust, Kindel and Brazeau lead the way

Bryan Rust, Ben Kindel and Justin Brazeau each recorded a goal and an assist in the 5-0 win at PPG Paints Arena. Rickard Rakell and Egor Chinakhov also scored for Pittsburgh. Arturs Silovs stopped 22 shots for his first shutout since Oct. 7 at the New York Rangers; Vegas goaltender Adin Hill stopped 17 shots.

Kindel, a first-round pick in the 2025 draft who turns 19 on April 19, scored his 15th of the season with 5: 04 left in the first period. The Penguins added three more goals in the second period, including power-play strikes by Rust and Rakell. Brazeau finished the scoring with his 16th of the season at 5: 01 of the third, extending his career high.

Golden Knights Vs Penguins: key moments and injury update

Late in the first period, Vegas captain Mark Stone left with an undisclosed injury after Penguins defenseman Kris Letang delivered a shove to Stone's left arm with his stick in the neutral zone. The shove may have caught the gap between Stone's elbow and shoulder pads; Stone grimaced, went down to one knee and skated off.

Pittsburgh improved to 10-1-3 in its last 14 games. Vegas dropped to 4-7-2 in its last 13 games.

Lines, injuries and roster notes

Projected forward groups listed for Vegas included Ivan Barbashev, Jack Eichel and Mark Stone on a top line; Pavel Dorofeyev, Mitch Marner and Reilly Smith on the second; Braeden Bowman, Tomas Hertl and Keegan Kolesar on the third; and Brandon Saad, Colton Sissons and Alexander Holtz on the fourth. The Golden Knights had Carter Hart, Alex Pietrangelo, William Karlsson and Brett Howden on injured reserve.

Pittsburgh’s forward deployment included Egor Chinakhov, Tommy Novak and Evgeni Malkin on one line; Avery Hayes, Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust on another; and Anthony Mantha, Ben Kindel and Justin Brazeau together as well. Chinakhov’s earlier 5v5 goal was the only 5v5 goal from a Penguins forward in the two games after the Olympic break; the team also had 5v5 goals from defensemen Connor Clifton and Ryan Shea in that span.

League-wide context, schedules and streaks

Sunday’s NHL slate included six games, with two nationally televised in the United States and one in Canada. The New York Islanders hosted the Florida Panthers at 6: 30 p. m. ET at UBS Arena; the Islanders were 16-10-2 at home and 11-4-0 in their past 15 home games since Dec. 2, with three shutouts at home—one fewer than the St. Louis Blues. New York had won four straight and was 8-0 in games decided in overtime. Mathew Barzal had 10 points in a six-game point streak after two assists in a 4-3 overtime win at Columbus the previous night. The Islanders were 34-21-5 and third in the Metropolitan Division, four points ahead of the Washington Capitals.

Matthew Tkachuk, who won a gold medal with Team USA at Milano Cortina 2026, scored in Florida’s first two games after the break, including in a 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday. The Panthers were 30-26-3, had lost six of eight and trailed the Boston Bruins by eight points for the second Eastern Conference wild card. Brad Marchand had 53 points (27 goals, 26 assists) and was on pace for his first 30-goal season since 2021-22 and the first 40-goal season of his NHL career; with his next goal he would pass Jaromir Jagr’s mark for most goals in a season by a Panthers skater age 35 or older.

Other Sunday action included the Minnesota Wild hosting the St. Louis Blues at 5 p. m. ET, where Matt Boldy carried multiple streaks after winning Olympic gold; the Anaheim Ducks attempted a fifth straight win at home against the Calgary Flames at Honda Center at 8 p. m. ET, and Leo Carlsson had goals in three straight games for Anaheim. The Ducks were 32-23-3, second in the Pacific Division, three points behind Vegas and one ahead of the Edmonton Oilers. The Flames were 24-28-6. The St. Louis Blues activated Robert Thomas following a temporary leave and a right leg procedure and expected him in the lineup. The league also promoted a reimagined stats experience with EDGE Advanced Stats, a new "How To Watch" guide and Apple Live Activities features.

Immediate consequences and next dates

Both teams were scheduled to play again on Tuesday night: the Golden Knights were set to visit Buffalo, and the Penguins were scheduled to be at Boston. Vegas’s four-game eastern swing began with a 3-2 regulation loss to the Washington Capitals on Friday and included an Olympic-return victory over Los Angeles on Wednesday; after Buffalo the Knights were due in Detroit the following day. Pittsburgh was poised to begin a 17-game March stretch that included a trip to Boston on Tuesday, a home game against Buffalo on Thursday, home dates with Philadelphia and Boston the next weekend and then a five-game road trip. The two teams were also set to finish their season series when Pittsburgh visited Vegas on Thursday, March 12.