LAS VEGAS (AP) — Pavel Dorofeyev scored three times for his second career hat trick and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the skidding Boston Bruins 5-1 on Thursday night.
Dorofeyev's first hat trick came in a 5-3 loss at Nashville on Jan. 14.
Brett Howden and Ivan Barbashev also scored for Vegas, which extended its Pacific Division lead to three points over Edmonton. Adin Hill made 18 saves.
Hill came close to his fifth shutout this season, but Morgan Geekie scored his 24th goal for Boston with 2:11 left.
Jeremy Swayman stopped 27 shots for the Bruins, who lost their fourth in a row. With 12 games remaining, the Bruins are five points back of the second wild-card slot in the Eastern Conference.
Takeaways
Bruins: Boston managed just 19 shots and was outshot for the fifth straight game. Over their last five, the Bruins have averaged 20 shots on goal.
Golden Knights: William Karlsson returned to the lineup after missing two months with a lower-body injury. Karlsson had an assist and played 20 shifts for a total of 15:57 on the ice.
Key moment
Boston’s Nikita Zadorov took a slashing penalty 8:15 into the second period and the Golden Knights capitalized with the NHL's second-best power play when Dorofeyev gave Vegas a 1-0 lead.
Key stat
It was the first time Vegas had players with hat tricks in consecutive home games. Tomas Hertl notched one in a 6-5 loss to Los Angeles on March 9.
Up next
Vegas plays the second game of a three-game homestand Saturday against Detroit, while Boston continues its five-game trip in San Jose.
