Golden Knіgһtѕ remаіn perfect on һomeѕtаnd wіtһ 5-2 wіn over Mаple Leаfѕ

The Vegas Golden Knights improved to 4-1-0 following the 4 Nations Face-Off break with a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena.

The victory improved Vegas’ winning streak to three games, giving the Golden Knights (37-18-6) a six-point lead over Edmonton (35-22-4) in the Pacific Division standings.

The Golden Knights and Maple Leafs took care of some unfinished business early when Matthew Knies dropped the gloves with Zach Whitecloud, a response to Whitecloud’s hit on Knies when these teams played in November.

Less than five minutes into the contest, Tomas Hertl opened the scoring with his 24th of the season, cleaning up a rebound to give Vegas the early 1-0 lead. Brandon Saad assisted on the goal, which pulled Hertl even with Pavel Dorofeyev for the team lead.

The Golden Knights doubled their lead when the third line scored in transition, with Brett Howden’s backhand somehow beating Joseph Woll under the arm at 11:18.

The Golden Knights then put an end to Woll’s night when Jack Eichel launched a one-timer into the back of the net, converting just 13 seconds into a power play to make it 3-0.

It was Vegas’ third goal on just seven shots.

When all was said and done, the Maple Leafs outshot the Golden Knights 16-8 in the first period, but an excellent effort by Adin Hill as well as Vegas’ ability to finish its chances gave the home team the three-goal edge after 20 minutes.

The Golden Knights added insult to injury just 17 seconds into the second period when Eichel made an excellent pass from the boards to set up Noah Hanifin in the slot. Hanifin’s blast was Vegas’ fourth goal on nine shots and gave the Golden Knights a commanding 4-0 lead.

The assist was Eichel’s 54th of the season, which ties his previous career high.

Hill’s strong play carried over into the second, as he turned aside eight of nine shots, including an Auston Matthews shorthanded breakaway.

Eichel got a shorthanded breakaway of his own later in the frame, but Anthony Stolarz shut down both of his attempts.

Stolarz made a series of strong saves a few minutes later when Vegas crashed the crease, but he was unable to keep Tanner Pearson’s follow-up out of the net. Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube’s challenge for goaltender interference was unsuccessful, as the call on the ice was confirmed. This made it 5-0 and put Vegas back on the power play, though the Golden Knights did not convert.

Matthews eventually broke through on the power play late in the second period to make it 5-1. Hill made the initial save, but Matthews found twine on the rebound.

The goal ended Hill’s shutout streak at 131:39, stretching back to the second period of the Feb. 22 tilt against Vancouver.

The second period was a much better frame for the Golden Knights, who outshot Toronto 15-9 with an 8-2 advantage in high-danger Corsi (6-0 at 5-on-5).

Toronto scored again in the third period, as an Ivan Barbashev turnover inside the blue line led to a Mitch Marner goal with 6:33 remaining.

But the Golden Knights shut things down from there, closing out the 5-2 win.

Following up on Monday’s playoff-style effort against New Jersey, the Golden Knights took care of the details and executed effectively against another playoff team, collecting an important two points in the final game before the trade deadline.

Even though Toronto controlled play in the first, Vegas capitalized on its chances and got excellent goaltending from Hill.

Those two factors were the difference in the game.

Hill, who stopped 29 of 31 for a .935 save percentage, had another impressive outing after a difficult stretch in February. He has now won four games in a row, giving up a total of four goals in that span.

The Golden Knights responded with a better showing in the second and lit the lamp two more times. Aside from a sloppy turnover that led directly to Marner’s tally in the third, Vegas maintained control and didn’t let up, riding the momentum from the hot start to the finish line in the convincing win.

Significantly, Hanifin continues to produce in the absence of Shea Theodore. Hanifin has recorded multi-point efforts in three straight games and has found the scoresheet in four straight, collecting two goals and seven points in that time. He has had strong stretches this year but has struggled with consistency; if he can continue to contribute at both ends, that will go a long way for Vegas moving forward.

Raphael Lavoie sustained an upper-body injury in the second period and did not return.

The Golden Knights are 3-0-0 on this five-game homestand, which continues Friday against Pittsburgh after the NHL Trade Deadline (Friday at noon) and wraps up Sunday against the Kings.