3 Takeaways: Golden Knights Top Maple Leafs 5-2 Behind Steady Offense And Strong Play From Adin Hill

LAS VEGAS -- The Golden Knights seem to have put that treacherous stretch of losing 11 of 14 games behind them, as they're now playing some of their best hockey of the season.

Vegas won its third straight game and for the sixth time in seven games with Wednesday's 5-2 win over Eastern Conference powerhouse Toronto.

The Golden Knights opened a 5-0 lead before the Leafs closed the scoring with the game's final two goals.

Five different skaters scored for the Golden Knights, including Tomas Hertl, who scored his 14th goal since Jan. 7 - fourth highest in the NHL during that stretch.

Brett Howden, Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin and Tanner Pearson also scored for Vegas.

Adin Hill stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced to win his fourth straight start.

"I think our team's playing pretty well," Hill said. "Just trying to keep it simple, keep the game easy, being on my feet as much as I can, and just trying to be patient."

Here are three takeaways from Wednesday's win:

CONFIDENT HOCKEY: Since letting Chicago back into a game the Golden Knights led 5-1 and eventually won 7-5, Vegas has outscored New Jersey and Toronto - two offensive-minded teams - by a combined final of 7-2. The Golden Knights beat the Devils 2-0 on Sunday. Pearson said while the team is playing responsible hockey by keeping the gas pedal depressed when opening an early lead, it's the air of confidence the team is playing with right now.

"It's a veteran group and most of the guys in the room have won before," he said. "So it's getting down to the kind of nitty-gritty time of the year, and obviously want to put yourself in a good position leading into the playoffs. Everyone knows what's at stake and everyone knows what the goal is at the end of the day."

SETTLING THE SCORE: As 4 Nations Face-Off USA teammates Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel met at center ice for the opening puck drop, Matthew Knies and Zach Whitecloud were ready to drop the gloves four seconds into the game. Bad blood was boiling from Nov. 20, when Knies took a high hit from Vegas' defenseman. Knies' head hit the ice and he consequentially missed two games with an upper-body injury. The NHL Department of Player Safety didn't issue any discipline on Whitecloud, ruling a "good angle of approach." It wouldn't matter, however, as Knies wanted revenge.

"That stemmed from a hard hit on Knies up in Toronto, clean hit," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "He wanted some retribution, and that's the one thing I love about the game and our group. It's the right way to settle things sometimes, as opposed to trying to maybe get a guy when he's not looking or jump him, stuff like that. They settled it, and then they move on. They have a mutual respect for one another. And you play hockey, and I thought it was good for both teams."

MILESTONES CONTINUE: Hanifin has now posted three straight multipoint games, the longest stretch in his career, after registering both a goal and an assist in the game. Hanifin's offense has caught fire with nine points (two goals, seven assists) in his last seven games.

Eichel, meanwhile, also had a goal and an assist, which was his career-high tying 54th helper of the season. Eichel - whose assist on Hanfin's goal was a highlight by itself - is now four points behind teammate William Karlsson’s single-season franchise points record of 78.