Golden Knights edge Carolina 3-2

Coming off a 3-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday evening with the Vegas debut of Ivan Barbashev, the Golden Knights were looking to rebound and make a big statement in front of a nationally televised audience. With two goals by Jack Eichel and the game winner from Reilly Smith, the Golden Knights made a massive statement to the rest of the West.

The Golden Knights headed into the game against the Carolina Hurricanes with a plenty of curious eyes of the hockey world wondering what moves will be made by Vegas ahead of Friday’s trade deadline. The Golden Knights acquired Teddy Blueger from the Pittsburgh Penguins prior to the game on Wednesday afternoon.

Hurricanes flex muscles early

The Hurricanes got off to a quick start offensively with Jordan Martinhook and Jesper Fast testing Adin Hill early. Reilly Smith got the first shot of the game for Vegas with 15:34 left in the opening period as Frederik Andersen got an easy save.  Through the first eight minutes, Carolina outshot the Golden Knights 6-1, but Hill has been unfazed by the Carolina offense. The Golden Knights did not have a serious offensive opportunity until the 7:50 mark of the period when William Carrier got a shot off.

Just prior to an icing call with 4;51 left Nic Hague got a shot off but again, Andersen was there to save it. Martin Necas was called for hooking against Carrier 20 seconds later, giving the Golden Knights the first power play opportunity of the game. During the power play, the Golden Knights struggled to get any offense going or getting any time in the offensive zone. Shea Theodore got a shot that hit the post with just 1:09 left in the period.

Golden Knights 0, Hurricanes 0 – 1st Intermission

The breakdown..

The Golden Knights had a power play opportunity and just could not get any significant movement into the offensive zone. 2 of 37 on the power play over the last 18 games. Something has to give with the power play. Carolina did an excellent job controlling the narrative of the entire first period outshooting the Golden Knights 9-6. While the game is scoreless, it felt like the Hurricanes have a 3-0 lead.

Jack Eichel strikes twice on Hurricanes

With 18:27 left in the second, Brayden McNabb fired off a shot that hit the post. A few seconds later Phil Kessel’s shot also hot the post. The Golden Knights got some opportunities early but could not muster off an official shot until the five minute mark. Jack Eichel would get the game’s first goal with 14:49 left in the second putting the Golden Knights on the board first. It was Eichel’s 21st goal of the season and it was his sixth goal in the last nine games. Through the first eight minutes, the Golden Knights kept the Hurricanes off the shot board.

Sabstian Aho fired off a slap shot with 7:43 left, but Hill was there to make the save. About a minute later Martin Necas got creative and tied the scored at 1-1 a piece.  After a stretch of back and forth hockey, Eichel found an opportunity and grabbed his second goal of the game to give the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead with 1:09 left in the period. Barbashev would get an assist with the Eichel goal giving him his first point as a Golden Knight.

Golden Knights 2, Hurricanes 1 – 2nd Intermission

The breakdown..

Overall, a much better period for the Golden Knights. Eichel doing Eichel things is what the Vegas offense needs. Keeping the Carolina offense from gaining any momentum paid off. Staying out of the penalty box needs to continue. Adin Hill for the most part has done a fairly solid job holding off the Canes.

Putting the Canes on ice for the win

The third period had plenty of activity to start. While Carolina had a 3-1 shot advantage in the period through the first seven minutes, the Golden Knights defense actually looked very hungry to eat up any chances produced by the Hurricanes. Blocking shots and keeping the energy level high is what is needed. Keegan Kolesar created a solid opportunity with 10:08 left that had Andersen scrambling for a brief second.

With 7:15 left, the Carolina offense finally broke through as Jordan Staal scored his 16th goal of the season making the score a 2-2 affair. With 3:41 left, off a fantastic pass from Michael Amadio, Reilly Smith scored his 20th goal of the season putting the Golden Knights in front with a 3-2 score. With two minutes left, the Hurricanes would pull Andersen from the net to get an extra attacker on the ice. The Golden Knights would hold off the attack and win a much needed game.

Golden Knights 3, Hurricanes 2 – FINAL

Game Notes

• With the win, the Golden Knights remain atop the Western Conference with a 36-19-6 record (75 points).
• The Golden Knights had zero penalty minutes against the Hurricanes. This is only the second time this season that has happened. The other occurrence was on December 9 in a 2-1 OT win against the Philadelphia Flyers.
• The win puts the Golden Knights two points in front of the Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific and four points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers. In the overall Western Conference standings, the Golden Knights are one point in front of the Dallas Stars and four ahead of the Minnesota Wild.
• Adin Hill stopped 24 of the 26 shots he faced on the night.
• The next game is Friday night home date against the New Jersey Devils who are one point behind the Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division.
• If the season ended after this evening’s action, the Golden Knights would draw the Winnipeg Jets while the Stars would get the Seattle Kraken.

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