Tomas Hertl with the Golden Knights (Via Getty Images) The Vegas Golden Knights absolutely dominated the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night at SAP Center. While they were the clear favorites of the night, Tomas Hertl impressed everyone as he delivered a career best with five points in a 7-2 victory that extended Vegas’s winning streak to four games.The former Sharks forward torched his old team with two goals and three assists, marking a personal milestone in his career. Jack Eichel added two goals as the Golden Knights improved to 21-11-12 on the season. Meanwhile, on the other end, Sharks prodigy Macklin Celebrini finally had his points-streak broken
Golden Knights forward reaches career milestone by helping Vegas win against former team
Hertl couldn’t explain what made everything click against his former team. “I don’t know. Sometimes you feel even better, and then you end up with an apple or something,” he said. “Sometimes it just goes your way. I’m just happy about my game.”The 31-year-old played his first 10 NHL seasons in San Jose before being traded to Vegas in March 2024. His familiarity with the building may have played a role in his dominant performance.”I’m sure Hertl likes coming back and playing here. He probably has terrific memories from years ago,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Sometimes when you come back into a building you’re familiar with, you just feel it a little bit.”Pavel Dorofeyev contributed a goal and two assists, while Mark Stone added three assists. Carl Lindbom made 18 saves to earn the victory as Vegas rolled to its fourth consecutive win.Eichel opened the scoring at 7:19 of the first period when he chipped in his own rebound after Yaroslav Askarov stopped his initial chance. The center added his second goal at 4:19 of the second period, scoring short side under Askarov’s glove from the left circle.Vegas’s power play proved lethal throughout the night. Dorofeyev gave the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead with a power play goal late in the first period. Hertl added another power play marker at 11:00 of the second to push the lead to 4-1.The loss ended multiple streaks for San Jose. The Sharks had won three consecutive games heading into Sunday, including a 5-4 overtime victory against Dallas on Saturday. More notably, rookie sensation Macklin Celebrini saw his impressive point streak end at 13 games. The young star had accumulated nine goals and 18 assists during the run. Collin Graf and Alexander Wennberg scored for the Sharks, who fell to 23-19-3 on the season. Askarov made 26 saves but couldn’t withstand the Golden Knights’ offensive onslaught.Vegas continues building momentum as they stack wins together in the second half of the season. “We talked about it the other day, like some of the good things we’ve done with different people in and out of the lineup,” Cassidy said. “They’re going to take ownership of the team.”Also Read: Vegas Golden Knights and Mark Stone look to extend their winning streak as they welcome St. Louis Blues