The Carolina Hurricanes continue with their State Fair road trip as their fourth stop takes them to the Nevada desert to face the Vegas Golden Knights. Both teams will take a winning streak into the matchup on Monday night (Oct. 20). The Hurricanes are winners of five straight, while the Golden Knights have won three straight. Furthermore, Vegas has not lost in regulation; can the visitors snap that run?
Hurricanes vs. Golden Knights Preview
The Hurricanes are coming off a 4-3 overtime win on Saturday night (Oct. 18) against the Los Angeles Kings. Seth Jarvis, with another game-winning goal, his fourth of the season, helped keep them the remaining undefeated team in the NHL. He became the first player in NHL history to have four game-winning goals in the first five games of a season. The Golden Knights defeated the Calgary Flames 6-1 on Saturday night. Here is where you can watch or listen to Monday night’s game:
Watch: FanDuel Sports Network South (Mike Maniscalco and Tripp Tracy)
Listen: 99.9 The Fan
Puck Drop: 10:00 p.m. Eastern
The Hurricanes could possibly be without defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere after leaving Saturday night’s game in the first period. As of now, there has been no update on him, but one could come before the game against the Golden Knights. The bad part is that since Gostisbehere had to leave the game early, his four-game point streak came to an end. If he is not ready to go, there’s a good chance Charles Alexis Legault could slot onto the blue line for head coach Rod Brind’Amour and defense coach Tim Gleason. It’ll be interesting to see how the team does without Gostisbehere and Jaccob Slavin, who’s been put since following the Oct. 11 game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Related: Seth Jarvis’ OT Heroics Lifts Hurricanes to 4-3 Win Over Kings
The Hurricanes are first in the NHL for goals per game (4.60) and fifth in goals allowed (2.20). The latter went up from 2.00 to 2.20 after giving up three goals to the Kings in their last game. However, they will face a Golden Knights team that is second in the NHL in goals for (4.33) and 16th in goals allowed (3.00). If they can neutralize Vegas, they might have a chance to win their sixth consecutive game. The thing is, though, the Golden Knights are second on the power play (37.5%). The Hurricanes do have the eighth-best penalty kill unit (86.7%), so that could be a system versus system battle on special teams.
On the flip side, the Hurricanes are 29th on the power play (11.8%), while the home side is 29th on the penalty kill (66.7%). If the Hurricanes manage one power play goal while limiting their penalties, that could help secure the win. They will need to control the tempo 5v5-wise because the Golden Knights have a couple of guys who have been driving the bus through the first six games of the season. Outside of Jarvis (six goals and eight points) and Sebastian Aho (one goal and seven points), the Hurricanes will need help from the rest of the team if they want to stay undefeated.
While the Golden Knights are a loaded roster, who are 4-0-2 through six games, there are three players the Hurricanes will need to contain on Monday night. One of those guys is Jack Eichel, who some are already saying is on a Hart Trophy run to start the season. He has five goals and 15 points, while being a plus-4. Another player is captain Mark Stone (two goals and 13 points), who is second on the team in points behind Eichel. Last but certainly not least is the new guy on the block, Mitch Marner. He has two goals and eight points, while also being a plus-8 for the Golden Knights. While they do have six guys producing a point per game or greater, it’s those three in Eichel, Stone, and Marner that are leading the way for a team that has not lost in regulation.
Related: Hurricanes’ Hot Start Leans on the Back of Multiple Point Streaks
However, they are a team that can get scored on when on the penalty kill; they do have a weakness. While the Hurricanes’ power play is in the bottom five of the league, they have a unit that could put the pressure on the Golden Knights to press and make mistakes. Furthermore, if the Hurricanes can get to either goalie and get the crowd out of the game, that could control the tempo in their favor. Adin Hill, in four games, is 1-0-2 with a 2.86 goals-against average (GAA) and a .882 save percentage (SV%). Akira Schmid, who the Hurricanes have lit up in the past, is 3-0-0 with a 3.00 GAA and a .879 SV%. Despite being undefeated, Schmid’s numbers show that the guys in front of him have to put up five or six goals a night to win.
The Hurricanes have a chance to stay undefeated if they can contain Eichel, Marner, and Stone while getting to either goalie early. As long as they play the way they did early against the Kings, minus letting them get back in the game, Brind’Amour’s team could be leaving Vegas with the house’s money and go 6-0-0 to start the season. It’ll be a tough battle, but if there is anything the Hurricanes have shown, they will not roll over and pull on the same rope. Who will lose in regulation first, the Hurricanes or Golden Knights?
