Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertl were dominant against the Detroit Red Wings, combining for two goals and seven points, en route to a 6-3 win.
The Golden Knights took the biggest swing at the 2023-24 trade deadline, pulling off a blockbuster deal to acquire Hertl with mere minutes remaining. At the time, Hertl was injured, recovering from surgery, and when he returned, he never really got his feet under him.
HC Bruce Cassidy struggled to find the best linemates for him, but the 2024-25 season has seen Hertl flip the switch. Primarily playing with Pavel Dorofeyev, the duo leads the Golden Knights in goals while winning their minutes at 5-on-5 and excelling on the power play.
Hertl recorded his second hat trick of the season last night, two of which game on the power play. His 30 goals this season are the second-highest of his career, and his 14 power play goals are a career-high. If he continues to score at his 0.43 goals per game, he’ll set a new career high of 36 goals.
Tomas Hertl’s got a hat trick before the midway point of the second period! ⚔️
Hat Trick Challenge presented by @AstraZenecaUSpic.twitter.com/PafaJoiahb
— NHL (@NHL) March 23, 2025
A contributing factor to Hertl’s success on the power play is the playmaking of Eichel. Eichel picked up assists on both of Hertl’s power play goals, bringing him to 64 assists on the season. On the season, Eichel has scored 22 goals and a career-high 86 points.
When Eichel and Hertl clicking at the same time, as they have consistently this season, it makes the Golden Knights increasingly dangerous. A playoff series can be won in the middle of the ice, and very few teams have the depth up the middle that the Golden Knights have. Eichel and Hertl provide a plethora of offence and William Karlsson and Nicolas Roy/Brett Howden provide defensive stability with additional offence in the bottom six.
They’ve built their team through the middle and on the backend, putting a lot of trust in Eichel and Hertl to drive offence, and so far, they’ve delivered.
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