LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mark Stone and Noah Hanifin each scored a power-play goal in the third period, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the New Jersey Devils 2-0 on Sunday night.
The Golden Knights won for the fifth time in six games. They extended their lead in the Pacific Division to four points over Edmonton.
New Jersey fell two points behind Carolina for second place in the Metropolitan after the Hurricanes beat Calgary 2-1 in overtime. The Devils also lost leading scorer Jack Hughes to an apparent arm injury late in the game, but coach Sheldon Keefe said he didn't have an update.
Both goals came off Hanifin shots from the point, with Stone redirecting the first one and letting the second go past.
Jack Eichel had two assists to stretch his single-season franchise record to 26 points on the man advantage. Adin Hill made 25 saves for his third shutout this season.
Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 22 shots in his first game since Jan. 22. He had been sidelined by a strained knee ligament.
Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb played in his 800th game. Also on the blue line, Vegas' Zach Whitecloud played in his 300th game.
Takeaways
Devils: Markstrom looked solid in his return and gave his team every chance to win.
Golden Knights: Vegas played poorly in the third period its past three games, though the Golden Knights won twice. This was their best final period by far over the span.
Key moment
Hill made a glove save with 6:17 left in the second period to rob Paul Cotter on a 2-on-1 chance.
Key stat
4 — the number of power plays for the Golden Knights in the third period. The Golden Knights scored on two power plays after entering third in the NHL by converting on 27.9%. New Jersey came in with the second-best penalty kill at 83.6%.
Up next
The Devils visit Dallas on Tuesday, and the Golden Knights host Toronto on Wednesday.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
