Golden Knights drop 1st home game of season to Hurricanes 

End of game: Golden Knights drop 1st home game of season to Hurricanes 

For the first time this season, The Fortress has been conquered as the Vegas Golden Knights dropped their first home game of the season against the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-2.

Vegas pulled the plug on Adin Hill halfway through the second period after he had allowed four goals on 21 shots. Two of the Hurricanes’ goals were off tips in front of the net; the other was off a rebound, the fourth was off a turnover behind the net and the last was on an empty net. Akira Schmid, who has been called up from Henderson for the last four games, recorded his first minutes as a Golden Knight. He made 12 saves on 12 shots and allowed no goals. 

Jack Eichel snapped Carolina’s shutout bid as he netted his fifth goal of the year to make the score 4-1. Pavel Dorofeyev scored on the power play with 12 seconds left to make it 5-2. The Golden Knights struggled to stay out of the box all night as Pavel Dorofeyev (tripping), Zach Whitecloud (hooking), Keegan Kolesar (tripping) and Ivan Barbashev (holding) all served penalties. Vegas was also out-shot 16-4 in the first period and 34-33 in the game. The power play unit was 1-for-3 on the night. 

The Golden Knights fall to 9-4-2 on the year and drop one of just five home games they have in November. They’re back on the road Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks. Vegas has a 3-1 win over the Ducks this season. Anaheim has also lost four of its last five. 

End of second period: Golden Knights pull Adin Hill, Hurricanes extend lead

Adin Hill’s night came to an early end as the Golden Knights pulled him after allowing four goals on 21 shots. Carolina found the back of the net two more times in the second period to bump its lead to 4-0. Vegas also will start the third period on the penalty kill following a tripping call on Keegan Kolesar.

Akira Schmid has taken over, making his Golden Knights debut. He has so far made six saves on six shots. Schmid was called up from Henderson on Nov. 2 against the Utah Hockey Club and has backed up Hill since as Ilya Samsonov is dealing with an undisclosed injury. 

The Hurricanes’ first goal of the period came shorthanded as Zach Whitecloud turned over the puck behind the net, giving Jordan Staal a wide open shot in front of Hill to score. Tyson Jost netted the Hurricanes second goal, tipping in a shot from Jaccob Slavin. It’s the second time tonight that Carolina has scored a goal on a tipped shot in front of the net. 

The Golden Knights were briefly on the power play after Martin Nečas was called for hooking but failed to convert. They had 10 shots in the period but are still trailing the Hurricanes in the game total, 27-17. Carolina has also blocked 12 Golden Knight shots. Vegas has turned over the puck eight times. 

End of first period: Hurricanes open up two-goal lead over Golden Knights 

T-Mobile Arena has been friendly to the Golden Knights all season, but after 20 minutes they are chasing a lead, down 2-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes. Vegas was dominated by Carolina, getting outshot 16-4. It’s the lowest shot total the Golden Knights have recorded in a period this season. 

Carolina found the back of the net less than five minutes into the game. Eric Robinson tipped in a shot from Sean Walker that beat Adin Hill five-hole. About eight minutes later, Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s first shot was saved by Hill, but he got his own rebound and put it in back of the net to extend the lead. 

Golden Knights also had to kill off a Pavel Dorofeyev penalty right after they had allowed the Kotkaniemi goal. Vegas’ best chance of the night came from Brett Howden, who hit the post. The Golden Knights have come close to scoring, but have passed the puck one too many times. 

Pregame: Golden Knights return home to host Hurricanes 

The Vegas Golden Knights are looking to remain undefeated in home games when they host the Carolina Hurricanes at 7 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena.

Vegas (8-0-0 at home) returns to the friendly confines of the Las Vegas Strip after splitting a pair of road games, including a 4-2 victory at the Edmonton Oilers for the franchise’s initial road game of the season.

The win, however, came with some bad news.

Mark Stone, the team’s leading scorer and captain, suffered a lower-body injury and tonight will miss a second straight game. Nicolas Roy skated in his place on the first line and is expected to play there against the Hurricanes.

Carolina will be the toughest team the Golden Knights have faced at home this season. The Hurricanes have won eight of their last nine and are a win away from taking over the top spot in the Atlantic Division.

Both of these teams love to score, as Vegas is second in the NHL in goals (43), and Carolina is sixth (36).

Players to watch

Golden Knights: Jack Eichel (center) 14 games played, 4 four goals, 18 assists, 22 points; Nicolas Roy (center) 14 games played, 4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points; Ivan Barbashev (forward) 14 games played, 7 goals, 9 assists, 16 points.

Carolina: Martin Necas (center) 13 games played, 8 goals, 15 assists, 23 points; Andrei Svechnikov (forward) 13 games played, 5 goals, 9 assists, 14 points; Sebastian Aho (center) 13 games, three goals, 10 assists, 13 points.

Non-active players

Golden Knights: Victor Olofsson (lower body), Mark Stone (lower body), Nicolas Hague (undisclosed), Ilya Samsonov (undisclosed).

Carolina: Riley Stillman (lower body), Frederik Andersen (lower body), Jesper Fast (neck).

How to watch

TV: Scripps Sports (Cox Communications, channel 38), KnightTime+ (streaming)

Betting line

Golden Knights +124 Carolina -148. Over/under: 6.5 (-108/-112).

Who is goal

Golden Knights

Adin Hill: 9 games played, 6-2-1, 3.13 goals against average, .881 save percentage, 1 shutout

Carolina

Pyotr Kochetkov: 8 games played, 7-1-0, 2.51 goals against average, .896 save percentage