Pavel Dorofeyev and Brayden Pachal grinned ear to ear as they embraced on the SAP Center ice.

The two youngsters are both getting a shot with the Golden Knights early this season with injuries affecting their club. So far, they — and a number of other players the team is shuffling around the lineup — are coming through.

Pachal scored his first NHL goal, Dorofeyev and left wing Jonas Rondbjerg picked up assists in their season debuts, and the Knights defeated the San Jose Sharks 4-1 on the road Thursday to improve to 2-0. They played without four regulars, yet still found a way to improve to 21-2-5 all-time against their rivals.

Goaltender Logan Thompson made 22 saves to win his first start since March 23. The Knights’ full array of depth was on display, as they have eight goal-scorers through two games.

Coach Bruce Cassidy said Thursday morning that his team has a tendency to play to the level of its opposition.

Those words looked prophetic at times later that night, as the Knights looked sluggish for long stretches against a Sharks team expected to finish near the bottom of the standings this year.

The two teams had only three shots each halfway through the first period. The Knights took 7:33 to put a puck on goal in the second.

The team still found a way to pull through.

The two sides were tied 1-1 in the second when defenseman Nic Hague’s persistence paid off. Hague, on his third shot of his shift, fired a 89.1 mph one-timer through goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen’s pads with 1:29 left in the period. It was only the second game-winning goal of his career.

Hague also had an assist for his eighth multipoint game. The 24-year-old is being given a chance to play on the top pair with defenseman Alec Martinez nursing an upper-body injury. He delivered.

Center Nicolas Roy tacked on a goal off the rush 53 seconds later. The set up came from Rondbjerg, who was called up Thursday morning after left wing William Carrier sustained an upper-body injury in the Knights’ opener.

Pachal added on 2:11 into the fourth after getting the puck from Dorofeyev. The 24-year-old, who got his name on the Stanley Cup before scoring a goal, started the year in the NHL lineup because defenseman Zach Whitecloud had surgery to fix an upper-body injury.

He, Hague, Rondbjerg and Dorofeyev took advantage of their opportunities Thursday. As a result, the Knights won their first road game for the fifth time in seven seasons. They’re 2-0 for the fifth time in seven years as well.

Here are three takeaways from the win:

1. Thompson returns

Thompson earned the hugs he received from his teammates after the game.

The 26-year-old was sharp in his first start of the season. He made the stops necessary to ensure the Knights’ lead would hold.

But more than that, the most important sign for Thompson was that he finished the game.

He was an All-Star as a rookie last season, but lower-body injuries kept him off the ice in the second half. Thompson made only two appearances after the All-Star Game and didn’t complete either one.

Getting a full 60 minutes under his belt should be a boost for Thompson as he seeks to recapture his form.

2. Penalty kill stays perfect

The Knights are likely spending more time short-handed than Cassidy would like.

They needed to kill four penalties in their season opener against Seattle, and took another two minor penalties in the first period in San Jose.

It hasn’t hurt them yet.

The Knights’ penalty kill was 2-for-2 against the Sharks to improve to 4-for-4 on the season so far. That includes killing off a five-minute Kraken power play after left wing Brett Howden was given a match penalty.

The Knights, including the playoffs, haven’t allowed a power-play goal their last nine games.

3. Eichel’s line dominates

Center Jack Eichel got the secondary assist on Hague’s goal, but it felt like he could have been on the scoresheet even more.

He and his linemates created enough looks. They dominated the puck in their time against the Sharks, putting together several sustained shifts in the offensive zone.

The Knights had a 22-13 edge in shot attempts when Eichel was on the ice at five-on-five, according to the website Natural Stat Trick.

Contact Ben Gotz at [email protected]. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.