PITTSBURGH (AP) — Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 37 shots in his return from injury and the Pittsburgh Penguins shut out the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 on Sunday night.
Nedeljkovic recorded his first shutout of the season and the eighth of his career. It was his first shutout since April 24, 2022, when he was a member of the Detroit Red Wings.
Ryan Graves and Noel Acciari both scored their first of the season and first goal with Pittsburgh. Evgeni Malkin added a late empty-net goal to seal the win. Jake Guentzel continued an eight-game point streak with an assist on the goal, as Pittsburgh snapped a brief two-game skid.
Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson both saw lengthy point streaks end.
Crosby was on an 11-game point streak, which was the third-longest active in the league. Karlsson was on an eight-game point streak, the longest among NHL defensemen. Crosby has been held without a point twice in 17 games this season.
Nedeljkovic missed 10 games with a lower-body injury and was activated off long-term injured reserve on Sunday. He scored a goal on Friday during a conditioning stint with the Penguins’ American Hockey League affiliate. It was the second of his career.
Adin Hill made 30 saves for the Golden Knights. Vegas started the season 11-0-1, but the Golden Knights have lost five of seven since.
Vegas played its fourth game of a season-long five-game road trip on Sunday. The Golden Knights are in the midst of a stretch in which they play eight of nine games on the road.
Graves opened the scoring for Pittsburgh at 2:13 of the first period. The Penguins have scored the first goal in 14 of their 17 games, tops in the NHL.
Acciari gave Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead at 11:39 of the second period. Hill was on the opposite post when Alec Martinez, his defenseman, mistakenly sent a pass in front to Acciari, who scored for Pittsburgh.
Also on Sunday, Penguins forward Reilly Smith played his former team for the first time since he was acquired by Pittsburgh in June. Smith, who was picked by the Golden Knights in the 2017 expansion draft, helped Vegas to a Stanley Cup last season and is among the franchise leaders in goals, points, assists and games played.
UP NEXT
Golden Knights: Close a five-game road trip Wednesday at Dallas.
Penguins: Host the New York Rangers on Wednesday.
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