Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

League-leading Hurricanes too much for Golden Knights

Golden Knights Fall to Hurricanes, 4-2

L.E. Baskow/AP

Vegas Golden Knights’ Brayden McNabb (3) is pinned on the boards by Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho (20) as right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37) takes the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021, in Las Vegas.

Golden Knights Fall to Hurricanes, 4-2

Vegas Golden Knights' Brayden McNabb (3) is pinned on the boards by Carolina Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho (20) as right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37) takes the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021, in Las Vegas. Launch slideshow »

Some losses can get a team fired up. Players break sticks, throw equipment, fire off a snarky comment in the postgame news conference after a particularly jarring defeat. Tuesday night was not one of those.

The Golden Knights did all they could under the circumstances against the team with the best record in the league. There are certainly no moral victories in the NHL, but Vegas trailed 2-0 after a period and battled back to enter the third with a tied score and a chance to beat the Carolina Hurricanes before eventually falling 4-2.

“I don’t think anybody’s going to feel sorry for the Vegas Golden Knights in this league,” captain Mark Stone said. “We’ve got to find a way to generate points, generate wins. We fought back hard in the second period, but we’ve got to find ways to play a little bit smarter.”

Too often a postgame report involves another injury to the Golden Knights, and tonight is no different. Leading scorer Jonathan Marchessault was placed in COVID-19 protocols Tuesday morning and was unavailable for the game. Defenseman Shea Theodore left the game in the third period after a nasty fall against the boards, and Evgenii Dadonov left the game bleeding after taking a stick to the face.

Throw in the players who have been injured — forwards Max Pacioretty, William Karlsson, Nolan Patrick, William Carrier and Jack Eichel, and defensemen Alec Martinez and Zach Whitecloud — and Vegas was a David taking on a Goliath that is Carolina.

And make no mistake, the Hurricanes are one of the best in the NHL. Their 12-2-0 record leads the league, as does their 27 goals allowed and plus-22 goal differential.

They’re one of the best possession teams in the league and they showed that Tuesday night, outshooting Vegas 42-23. They scored twice in the first period, putting Vegas in a 2-0 hole for the second game in a row, and looked eager for a rout.

Instead, the Golden Knights fought back. They scored twice in the first 4:12 of the second to tie the game on goals from Brett Howden and Theodore, and despite being massively outshot, entered the third period all tied up.

Carolina made quick work of Vegas in the final period, though, scoring 1:11 into the frame and nailing the dagger with 6:19 to play.

“I think they probably deserved to win, but if that third goal doesn’t happen, who knows,” goalie Robin Lehner said.

The Hurricanes swarmed the net all night long, playing for rebounds and chaos in front of the net. Two of their goals were off rebounds, one was deflected off a Vegas defender to the shooter, and one was a clean snipe after a gorgeous cross-ice pass.

It’s just what good teams do. In losses earlier this year, there were holes in the Golden Knights’ game that were reasons for concern. Tonight was a case of a healthy juggernaut of a team taking on an undermanned group that has to scratch and claw every night.

In short, that’s hockey.

“I think I’m more disappointed it was 2-2 going to the third, chance to get points, and we don’t do that,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “They were the better team, and in this league you usually get what you deserve.”

The Golden Knights were also quick to point out what didn’t work, signaling they feel they know how to leave this game in the past. Stone pointed out their defense did a good job beating Vegas wingers to pucks in the Golden Knights’ zone to keep offensive chances alive, and Brayden McNabb said their forecheck prevented clean breakouts by the Vegas defensemen.

This was a measuring-stick type of game, and it was clear the Golden Knights came up short. They’ll get another crack at the Hurricanes in Carolina in January, at which point the hope is Vegas is closer to full strength so it can really see what it can do.

“You’ve got to tip your cap a little bit, that’s a good hockey team, I think they’re going to be right in the thick of things come April when things matter,” Stone said. “It’s a good kind of telling tale for us that we’ve still got to get better.”

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