Nic Hague and Jamie Benn exchanged haymakers in the neutral zone. Miro Heiskanen put a reverse hit on Keegan Kolesar. Mark Stone bodied Jason Robertson.

The Golden Knights were only playing their fourth game of the regular season Tuesday, and the Dallas Stars their second. The intensity at times at T-Mobile Arena made it seem like the two sides were still in the Western Conference Final.

This meeting had the same result.

The Knights, thanks to a late game-tying goal from center William Karlsson, rallied to win 3-2 in a shootout in front of an announced crowd of 17,612. They improved to 4-0 for the second time in franchise history less than five months after ending Dallas’ season in a six-game series win.

The two sides seemed content to play a typical regular-season matchup at first. Then things picked up after neither team scored in the first period.

Hague and Benn dropped the gloves 1:10 into the second. Defenseman Ben Hutton and left wing Mason Marchment did the same 12:05 later, making it the first Knights’ game with two fights since Nov. 26, 2022 against Vancouver.

The two sides exchanged blows on the scoreboard as well.

Craig Smith got Dallas on the board with his first goal as a Star 5:52 into the second. Defenseman Kaedan Korczak answered with his first NHL goal 7:11 later.

The two teams traded tallies again in the third. Right wing Joe Pavelski gave the Dallas the lead again 2:50 into the period, scoring three seconds after a faceoff win by center Roope Hintz. Karlsson brought the Knights level again by tipping a shot by Korczak into the net with 2:59 remaining in regulation.

Defenseman Shea Theodore, right wing Jonathan Marchessault and goaltender Adin Hill powered the team to victory from there. The two skaters scored in the shootout, while Hill made two saves to keep the Knights’ record perfect.

Here are three takeaways from the win:

1. Reinforcements arrive

The Knights, for the first time since their opener, were back to full strength up front.

Left wings Brett Howden and William Carrier jumped in the lineup after missing the team’s last two games. Howden was suspended for an “illegal check to the head” on Seattle right wing Brandon Tanev, while Carrier suffered an upper-body injury.

Carrier took his normal spot on the fourth line, while Howden played with Karlsson and right wing Michael Amadio.

The team is still working to get healthy on the blue line. Defenseman Alec Martinez, who hasn’t appeared this season because of an upper-body injury, practiced with the Knights on Tuesday morning in a red no-contract jersey. Coach Bruce Cassidy said Martinez will travel with the team during its two-game road trip to Winnipeg and Chicago, meaning it’s possible the veteran could make his season debut Thursday or Saturday.

2. Korczak’s milestone

A few missing teeth couldn’t disguise the wide smile on Korczak’s face in the second period.

The 22-year-old played his 13th NHL game Tuesday night. On his 19th shot on goal, he got one to go into the net.

Korczak became the second Knights player to get his first NHL goal this season. Defenseman Brayden Pachal accomplished the same milestone two games earlier in the team’s 4-1 victory in San Jose.

It was a long time coming for Korczak, the Knights’ 2019 second-round pick. It was a heck of a play as well. He took a short backhand pass from Howden and fired it into the upper right corner of the net. Korczak later added an assist on Karlsson’s goal.

3. Goalie duel

Hill, three starts into his regular season, continues to look like the guy the Stars saw in the playoffs.

Hill stopped 24 of the 26 he shots against an opponent that should be one of the Western Conference’s best again this year. The 27-year-old, who had a .939 save percentage in his six starts against Dallas last postseason, has a .951 save percentage to start his second campaign with the Knights.

Goaltender Jake Oettinger proved to be a tough counterpart in the other net. He stopped 32 of the 34 shots he saw in his fifth-ever start against the Knights. Oettinger made two critical saves while defending a 5-on-3 power play late in the second period and made four stops in overtime as well.

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