Vegas Golden Knights veteran forward Tomas Hertl knows what's expected of him as part of a potent offense.

Which is why he's more than relieved to not only have snapped a 29-game drought, but also a 16-game playoff drought that dated back to last season.

Hertl, who hadn't scored a goal since March 4 in a 4-3 overtime win in Detroit, hadn't scored a playoff goal since April 26, 2025 in a 4-3 overtime win in Minnesota.

Now, he's scored in back-to-back games, in Games 3 and 4 of the Knights' current series with the Anaheim Ducks.

"Obviously, it wasn't easy for me, you know," Hertl said. "The expectation for me is to make something happen on the ice. It was nice for me to score the last game, and especially tonight.

"I was very happy about it, because it was a pretty hard two months for me, because everybody expected I would score goals and make something happen. I obviously try to do other things, but it's always nice to get a couple. Hopefully, moving forward, I can help with a couple more goals.”

Vegas coach John Tortorella praised Hertl's line, with wings Brandon Saad and Colton Sissons flanking him.

"I know they were on the ice for the tying goal, but I thought they gave us some big minutes, and we're gonna need it," Tortorella said. "As the series keeps on going, we're gonna need all four lines."

Hertl, who acknowledged being benched at times and seeing limited playing time was difficult to absorb, said he tried not to think about his scoring drought the past two months but found it difficult.

Recent conversations with a supportive Tortorella, though, have helped ease him back into a comfort zone.

"We definitely had some talks about it, and he tried to help me around," Hertl said. "But it's always just nice to score the first one. Every game, when I was going through it, I just tried not to think about a goal because, especially in the playoffs, all that matters is winning the games. It doesn't matter who scores.

"Hopefully this is behind me and this stretch never happens, honestly, again, because it was way too long."

Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period of game five of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena.