That’s what you call a perfect comeback! Jack Eichel scored a goal and provided two assists on his return from injury as the Vegas Golden Knights inflicted a sixth straight loss on the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 5-2 win at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday. Vegas has won five of the past seven games (5-1-1).
Eichel, who had missed the last 11 games with a lower body injury, gave Vegas a 2-0 lead after just 5:17 of the first period. “I was just happy to be back on the ice with the team. You never like to watch games,” said Eichel modestly after the final siren. “If you haven’t played for a few weeks you always have a lot of energy, but things don’t go as smoothly as you would hope. I think we played well together. We created some attacks. It was a good game for the whole group.”
Video: PIT@VGK: Eichel extends the lead
This victory increased the Golden Knights’ record to 27-12-2. Vegas was able to win the last four home games. “Today it looked like we had a decent goal tally for the first time in a long time,” said Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy. “There are obvious reasons for that. If you Jack Eichel puts it in the lineup, he’ll set things in motion. “
Eichel, who played his first game since December 9th, was also satisfied with the evening from a personal point of view. “It gives you fresh self-confidence,” explained Eichel. “When you get the first game out of the way after a break like that, you can just go out and play.”