Rust and Kindel help the Penguins beat the Golden Knights 5-0

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Bryan Rust, Ben Kindel and Justin Brazeau each had a goal and an assist, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-0 on Sunday.

Rickard Rakell and Egor Chinakhov also scored as Pittsburgh improved to 10-1-3 in its last 14 games. Erik Karlsson had two assists, and Arturs Silovs made 22 saves in his first shutout since opening night on Oct. 7 at the New York Rangers.

Vegas goaltender Adin Hill stopped 17 shots. The Golden Knights dropped to 4-7-2 in their last 13 games.

Vegas captain Mark Stone left late in the first period with an undisclosed injury. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang gave Stone a seemingly harmless shove to the left arm with his stick in the neutral zone, though it may have caught him in the gap between his elbow and shoulder pads. Stone grimaced in pain, went down to one knee and skated off.

Kindel, a first-round pick in the 2025 draft who turns 19 on April 19, scored his 15th goal with 5:04 left in the first.

The Penguins grabbed control with three more goals in the second. Rust and Rakell each scored on the power play.

Brazeau made it 5-0 with 5:01 left in the third. It was Brazeau's 16th on the season, extending his career high.

Both teams play again on Tuesday night. The Golden Knights visit Buffalo, and the Penguins are at Boston.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Pittsburgh Penguins' Bryan Rust (17) returns to the bench after scoring during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights in Pittsburgh, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Avery Hayes (85) fights with Vegas Golden Knights' Cole Reinhardt (23) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Egor Chinakhov (59) returns to the bench after scoring during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights in Pittsburgh, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Rickard Rakell (67) collides with Vegas Golden Knights' Brayden McNabb (3) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Egor Chinakhov, center, celebrates with Justin Brazeau, left, and Tommy Novak, right, after scoring against the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

BERLIN (AP) — Jamie Leweling scored twice and Stuttgart routed Wolfsburg 4-0 to boost its chances of Champions League qualification while leaving the visitors in the Bundesliga’s relegation zone on Sunday.

Deniz Undav started Stuttgart’s party in the 21st and Leweling made it 2-0 nine minutes later after another well-worked team move, before grabbing his second with a deflected shot in the 42nd.

Stuttgart eased up in the second half. Substitute Nikolas Nartey completed the scoring in stoppage time with another deflected shot that squirmed in off the far post.

Stuttgart consolidated fourth place, the last for Champions League qualification, with 10 rounds remaining.

Wolfsburg is second-last after its fifth defeat from a run of seven games without a win. The Volkswagen-backed team’s coach Daniel Bauer is its second this season after he took over – initially on an interim basis – from the fired Paul Simonis in November.

Former Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking is reportedly a candidate to return and try to save the team from the drop. The 61-year-old Hecking was in charge from December 2012 to October 2016 and won the German Cup with Wolfsburg in 2015, when it finished second behind Bayern in the Bundesliga and Hecking was voted coach of the season.

But Hecking couldn't prevent Bochum's relegation last year and he was fired in November after starting the second division with four defeats in five games.

Traveling Wolfsburg fans brought a giant banner to Stuttgart saying “relegation fight,” as if they needed to inform the players of their predicament.

Yan Diomande scored the winner as Leipzig kept pace with a 2-1 win at Hamburger SV to stay two points behind Stuttgart in fifth.

Bayer Leverkusen was six points behind Stuttgart before visiting Hamburg for their postponed 17th-round game on Wednesday.

Fares Chaibi scored one goal and set up the other for Eintracht Frankfurt to beat Freiburg 2-0 and leapfrog the visitors into seventh place.

Both goals came in the second half with Chaibi setting up Jean-Matteo Bahoya to seal the win in the 81st.

It’s the second win from two at home without conceding a goal under new coach Albert Riera. Frankfurt’s only defeat in four games under the Spanish coach was a 3-2 loss at Bayern Munich last weekend.

Bayern is the heavy favorite to win the league again after its 3-2 win over closest rival Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker on Saturday.

The Bavarian powerhouse is 11 points clear and has only dropped points in four games from 24 so far this season.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Wolfsburg's Adam Daghim, left, in action against Stuttgart's Adam Daghim during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and VfL Wolfsburg in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (Harry Langer/dpa via AP)

Stuttgart's Nikolas Nartey, center, scores during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and VfL Wolfsburg in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (Harry Langer/dpa via AP)

Wolfsburg's Konstantinos Koulierakis, left, in action against Stuttgart's Ermedin Demirovic during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and VfL Wolfsburg in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (Harry Langer/dpa via AP)

Stuttgart's Deniz Undav celebrates after scoring during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and VfL Wolfsburg in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (Harry Langer/dpa via AP)

Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling, right, celebrates after scoring during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and VfL Wolfsburg in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (Harry Langer/dpa via AP)