Published Friday, Jan. 17, 2025 | 2:41 p.m.
Updated Friday, Jan. 17, 2025 | 6:55 p.m.
End of Game: Hurricanes surge in third period, hand Golden Knights second straight loss
Back-to-back goals in the first six minutes of the third period gave the Carolina Hurricanes a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights tonight.
Less than a minute into the period, Carolina went on a 3-on-2 break, with Jackson Blake’s shot bouncing off of Noah Hanifin and into the net for its first lead of the night, 2-1. About five minutes later, Seth Jarvis scored his second goal of the game on a 2-on-1. Alex Pietrangelo committed to defending Jordan Staal on the odd-man rush, leaving Jarvis wide open for the goal and extending the lead to 3-1.
The Golden Knights did pull to within a goal as Shea Theodore scored from the point 29 seconds into a power play to make it 3-2. Pavel Dorofeyev recorded an assist on the goal, which is his seventh point in three games.
Vegas pulled Adin Hill for an extra attacker with 2:40 left in the game. A face-off in the Golden Knights’ end forced Hill to go back into the net. A miscommunication for Hill to come back to the bench led to Victor Olofsson jumping on the ice too early, leading to a too-many-men penalty. That turned a 6-on-5 advantage to 5-on-5, as the Golden Knights elected to pull Hill for an extra attacker.
The Golden Knights couldn’t convert in the final minutes and have now lost four of their last five. They are now 6-9-1 against Eastern Conference competition this season. They fall to 29-13-3 and are now tied with the Edmonton Oilers for the top spot in the Pacific Division with 61 points.
Vegas has a quick turnaround as it will travel to Chicago to face the Blackhawks on Saturday at 5 p.m.
End of Second Period: Golden Knights, Hurricanes trade goals to remain tied
After a scoreless first period, both the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes got on the board in the second period, tied 1-1.
Five minutes into the frame, Tomas Hertl made a move to the backhand to get around defender Dmitry Orlov and beat goalie Pyotr Kochetkov to give Vegas a 1-0 lead. Victor Olofsson recorded his 100th career assist on the goal and has 199 career points.
The lead didn’t hold for long. Eight minutes later, the Golden Knights failed to clear the puck out of their zone, and the Hurricanes capitalized. Jaccob Slavin threw the puck on the net, and Jordan Martinook passed it to Seth Jarvis, who beat Adin Hill’s far blocker to tie the game.
Three more penalties were awarded in the second period. The Hurricanes’ Sean Walker slashed Keegan Kolesar on a breakaway, leading to a penalty shot, which Kolesar missed trying to go blocker side on Kochetkov. Brayden McNabb was later called for delay of the game, and seven seconds after the Golden Knights killed the penalty off, Noah Hanifin was called for tripping. Vegas has successfully killed off four penalties tonight.
Carolina had a 13-8 shot edge in the period, but Vegas is narrowly outshooting the Hurricanes, 21-20.
End of First Period: Despite 3 power plays, Golden Knights, Hurricanes scoreless
The Vegas Golden Knights were on the power play twice, and the Carolina Hurricanes once, in the first period, but both teams have yet to score, tied 0-0 at the end of the first period.
For the Golden Knights’ first power play, the Hurricanes’ Jesperi Kotkaniemi was called for holding on Brett Howden. Vegas had four shots on goal but couldn’t convert. Nine minutes later, Zach Whitecloud was called for cross-checking, but Carolina failed to score in three shots on goal.
The final penalty of the period was called on Carolina’s Sean Walker for holding on Victor Olofsson. Tomas Hertl had the lone shot on goal as the Golden Knights struggled to set up in the zone.
Vegas has a 13-7 shot advantage in the game and is winning 61% of face-offs. Hurricanes goalie Pyotr Kochetkov has made a handful of big saves and has been their best player so far. Adin Hill is in net for the Golden Knights.
Pregame: Golden Knights look to end Eastern Conference struggles against Hurricanes
Despite having one of the best records in the NHL, the Vegas Golden Knights have struggled against Eastern Conference teams, with a 6-8-1 record against them.
They’ll look to improve upon that record when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes at 4 p.m. today in Raleigh.
Vegas has struggled to find its offense recently, dropping three of its last four games. Two of those losses have been to Eastern Conference teams — the New York Islanders and Rangers.
The Golden Knights’ most recent result was a 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators.Vegas was down 4-0 and outshot 11-1 in the first period of that game.
Coach Bruce Cassidy said the way the Golden Knights played in the first 30 minutes was the worst he had seen in his two and a half years in Vegas.
Pavel Dorofeyev’s first career hat trick kept the Golden Knights in the game. His offense has been critical in keeping the Golden Knights from sinking in the standings. He has scored five goals in the last two games.
Carolina, meanwhile, has caused the Golden Knights problems before this season.
In November, the Hurricanes defeated Vegas 5-2 at T-Mobile Arena. The Golden Knights went down 4-0 halfway through the second period, and goalie Adin Hill was pulled for Henderson call-up Akira Schmid.
With today’s game, the Hurricanes are also looking to get back on the winning side of things. They’ve lost back-to-back games against two of the worst teams in the league — the Anaheim Ducks, 3-2, on Sunday and the Buffalo Sabres, 4-2, on Wednesday.
Players to watch
Golden Knights: Pavel Dorofeyev (forward) 44 games played, 19 goals, 8 assists, 27 points; Jack Eichel (center) 43 games played, 11 goals, 43 assists, 54 points; Mark Stone (forward) 30 games played, 12 goals, 27 assists, 39 points.
Carolina: Martin Necas (center) 45 games played, 16 goals, 35 assists, 51 points; Sebastian Aho (center) 45 games played, 13 goals, 31 assists, 44 points; Andrei Svechnikov (forward) 45 games played, 15 goals, 17 assists, 32 points.
Non-active players
Golden Knights: None to report.
Carolina: Tyson Jost (lower body), William Carrier (lower body), Jesper Fast (neck)
How to watch
TV: Scripps Sports (Cox Communications, channel 38), KnightTime+ (streaming)
Betting line
Golden Knights +140 Carolina -166. Over/under 5.5 (-125/+105)
Who is in goal
Golden Knights: TBD
Carolina: Pyotr Kochetkov – 28 games played, 16-9-2 record, 2.54 goals against average, .901 save percentage, 1 shutout.