LAS VEGAS -- Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl continued his offensive surge in Thursday night's 7-5 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, extending his point streak to four games.

Since Jan. 7, Hertl has 13 goals and eight assists, with his 21 points ranking 11th in the NHL.

It's quite clear Hertl has settled into his role after spending the first part of the season moving up and down the forward lines, while also shifting from center to wing at times.

Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy was trying to see what he had with his talented group of forwards and ended up trying different things when injuries popped up.

Much more comfortable playing in the middle consistently, the true centerman has found a groove and has teamed well with Pavel Dorofeyev, who also scored Thursday night.

"He knows how to protect it," Hertl said of his younger linemate during the postgame broadcast. "Sometimes it's not about big body, it's just be good in protecting the puck. I think over the last month or two we find some chemistry scoring some goals and we want to keep doing it and we want to help the team."

The success of the power play has also made a difference in Hertl's confidence as his goal against Chicago tied a team record with his 11th score on the man advantage.

Hertl has already registered 44 points this season, the sixth-most in his career, and is on pace to finish with 61, which would rank fourth all-time during his 12-year career.

"Anytime you talk to this guy, he just got the biggest smile on his face, and he's just happy to be there," Golden Knights rinkside reporter Ashali Vice said during an interview with ESPN Las Vegas earlier this week. "I do think that ... the kinds of goals that he's scored, that's exactly as advertised, exactly what Vegas thought they were getting when he came. Now to see it on a consistent basis has been really impressive, and you just hope it's a pace that he can keep up."

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FORMER KNIGHTS

Three-time Stanley Cup champion Alec Martinez played his first game in Las Vegas since signing with the Blackhawks, and was greeted with a well-deserved tribute video. Martinez was part of Vegas' 2022-23 Stanley Cup championship run.

Edmonton and Florida reunited in the same building the two met last summer in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and once again the Panthers won. Former Knight Nate Schmidt scored his fifth goal of the season to help the Panthers in their 4-3 win.

Schmidt regains the lead | NHL.com Nate Schmidt gets a drop pass while skating into the zone and rips the shot into the back of the net, giving the Panthers a 3-2 lead

Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki scored twice in regulation Thursday night, and assisted on Cole Caufield's game-winner in Montreal's 4-3 overtime win against San Jose. Suzuki is tied for the league league out of the 4 Nations break with 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists).