Knights downed by Devils, Hellebuyck in Nevada Day game

The Vegas Golden Knights already knew the New Jersey Devils were not going to give them a ton of shots.

Add the best goaltender in the world to that mix, and it was a frustrating combination for the Knights in a 5-2 loss to the Devils at T-Mobile Arena on Friday.

New Devils netminder Connor Hellebuyck finished with 19 saves in his second start since the blockbuster trade with the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 23.

Knights goaltender Adin Hill saw a larger workload with 23 saves in his second straight start.

Captain Mark Stone and winger Ivan Barbashev scored for the Knights (9-5-1), who lost for the fourth time in five games.

The Devils (9-5-0) were carried by their top line. Star center Jack Hughes and left wing Arseny Gritsyuk each scored twice and were each a plus-4.

Both goaltenders had strong games, but the difference in workload was vast. Hill was the busier of the two, and it showed on the scoreboard after 40 minutes.

The Devils took a 4-2 lead into the third period.

Hughes broke a 2-2 tie with a highlight-reel goal at 3:49 of the second, dangling the puck between Stone’s legs and finishing with a snapshot.

Gritsyuk, who scored with 1:09 left in the first period, scored with 1:44 left in the second while following up his own rebound with a backhand.

The Knights led 2-1 with 2:03 left in the first period. Stone scored a power-play goal with 3:33 left, and Barbashev finished a perfect passing play 1:30 later.

Gritsyuk tied it 54 seconds later.

New Jersey defenseman Luke Hughes opened the scoring at 5:38 of the first after Knights defenseman Ville Heinola turned it over in the defensive zone.

Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb recorded an assist in his 900th NHL game.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.