PITTSBURGH (AP) — Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 37 shots in his return from injury and the Pittsburgh Penguins shut out the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 on Sunday night.
Nedeljkovic recorded his first shutout of the season and the eighth of his career. It was his first shutout since April 24, 2022, when he was a member of the Detroit Red Wings.
Ryan Graves and Noel Ashari both scored their first goals of the season for Pittsburgh. Evgeni Malkin added a goal from the air in the final minute to seal the victory. Pittsburgh ended a two-game losing streak, but Jake Guentzel continued his eight-game scoring streak with an assist.
Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson both ended long point streaks. Crosby had an 11-game scoring streak, the third-longest active streak in the league. Karlsson had an eight-game scoring streak, the longest of any NHL defenseman. Crosby has gone scoreless twice in 17 games this season.
Nedeljkovic missed 10 games with a lower-body injury and returned from long-term injured reserve on Sunday. He scored the goal Friday during conditioning with the Penguins’ American Hockey League affiliate. It was the second of his career.
Adin Hill made 30 saves for the Golden Knights. Vegas started the season 11-0-1, but the Golden Knights have lost five of seven games since then.
Las Vegas played the fourth of a five-game road trip during the season on Sunday. The Golden Knights are in the midst of a period in which they play eight of their nine games on the road.
Graves scored Pittsburgh’s first goal at 2:13 of the first period. The Penguins have led the NHL in scoring in 14 of 17 games.
At 11:39 of the second period, Acciari gave Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead. Hill was at the opposite post when defenseman Alec Martinez accidentally sent a pass to Acciari, giving Pittsburgh a score.
Also on Sunday, Penguins forward Riley Smith played against his former team for the first time since being acquired by Pittsburgh in June.
Smith, selected by the Golden Knights in the 2017 expansion draft, helped Vegas win the Stanley Cup last season and was one of the franchise leaders in goals, points, assists and games played.
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Golden Knights: End a five-game road trip Wednesday at Dallas.
Penguins: Host the New York Rangers on Wednesday.