Friday, March 21, 2025 | 2 a.m.
Pavel Dorofeyev has always had the scoring potential and expectations. It was just a matter of time before the goals started piling up.
Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy has mentioned before that if a player has scored consistently at different levels, that touch never leaves them.
After being selected 79th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Golden Knights, Dorofeyev wasted no time, leaving an impact in Henderson. In 63 games during the 2022-23 season, he scored 52 points, earning multiple call-ups to Vegas the following season.
He stepped into a full-time roster spot last season, scoring 24 points in 47 games. Entering his second full NHL season, the expectations were high for Dorofeyev to have an impact, and Cassidy saw it early on in training camp.
“You take incremental steps at that age, but he (Dorofeyev) can get into traffic now, stay on battles, and keep possession of the puck better than a year before. He’s more of a man,” Cassidy said.
“There’s always times out there where bodies are on you, sticks are on you and you’ve got to fight through it.”
Stronger and more confident on the puck, Dorofeyev is playing up to his scoring potential.
Thursday, he eclipsed 30 goals in 68 games, scoring his second career hat trick in a 5-1 win over the Boston Bruins. He was able to accomplish the fete with gauze, plugging each of his nostrils after suffering a bloody nose in the second period.
“He’s earned it,” Cassidy said on Dorofeyev’s success this season. He’s done all the right things.”
Dorofeyev’s maturity has been tested this season multiple times.
In December, the Golden Knights’ best month of the season, Dorofeyev scored just three points in 12 games. Watching Dorofeyev, Cassidy said that he was still playing well but was having trouble scoring.
Every player experiences it, and how Dorofeyev handled it was going to be important in his growth. The next month, Dorofeyev scored 14 points in 15 games, including his first career hat trick against the Nashville Predators on Jan. 14.
“That’s a tell for young guys. Are you going to start cheating for offense all over the place or are you going to start changing your game or not, and he (Dorofeyev) did that,” Cassidy said. “Credit to him and credit to his teammates around him. Those guys will pick him up. We’ve got good players in that room.”
Dorofeyev’s teammates always saw his scoring potential and knew it was going to come. At just 24 years old, Dorofeyev has been trusted with many roles on the first power play unit and on the second line, and he has not disappointed.
“We always knew that he had the goal-scoring in him,” William Karlsson said. “He’s just playing a solid 200-foot game, and then he adds all his scoring on top of that. He’s just a mature guy, and he’s grown a lot this year.”
A handful of other Golden Knights hit offensive milestones against the Bruins. Karlsson assisted Brett Howden’s second-period goal. It was Karlsson’s first game back in two months and his first point since Jan. 7.
Jack Eichel recorded two assists, one on a Dorofeyev goal and another on Ivan Barbashev’s 20th of the season. Eichel now has 61 assists and 82 points on the year.
Vegas also managed to stay out of the box. Mark Stone was called for tripping on John Beecher, but upon video review, Stone had not made contact when Beecher fell. Still, Stone was penalized.
That was another aspect of Dorofeyev’s game that’s grown this season. After a 4-3 shootout loss to Buffalo on March 15, Cassidy called out Dorofeyev for taking stick fouls in back-to-back games. Since then, he’s stayed out of the box.
“I’ve talked to Pav (Dorofeyev) about that. I don’t want to lose that (second effort play mentality),” Cassidy said. “You’ve just got to be mindful and got to be a little more in charge of your stick as a 24-year-old.”
Dorofeyev’s scoring touch has been crucial for the Golden Knights this season, and his teammates don’t take it for granted.
“If he (Dorofeyev) gets an opportunity and a grade-A chance, you know he’s gonna score,” Noah Hanifin said. “Getting players like that is pretty rare, so we’re happy to have him here. He’s been unbelievable for us this year.