2023-24 Regular Season, Game 32: Hurricanes vs. Vegas Golden Knights (Postgame)

After back-to-back losses in extra time, this was either going to be the worst or best time for the Carolina Hurricanes to have the defending champions come to town. The Canes played host to the red-hot Vegas Golden Knights, who are enjoying a magnificent start after scaling to the top of the mountain in June. The Canes would get huge news before the game as Andrei Svechnikov returned to the lineup after a six-game absence, giving the team a huge offensive weapon to try and counter one of the most well-rounded teams in the league. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (10:27)- Andrei Svechnikov (2) PP (assisted by Brady Skjei (14) & Sebastian Aho (16))

VGK (13:15)- William Carrier (4) (assisted by Brayden McNabb (11) & Brett Howden (5))

2nd Period

CAR (4:36)- Jordan Staal (5) (assisted by Jesper Fast (6) & Jordan Martinook (8))

CAR (10:11)- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (9) (assisted by Jalen Chatfield (6) & Michael Bunting (14))

CAR (12:39)- Michael Bunting (7) PP (assisted by Sebastian Aho (17) & Brent Burns (9))

3rd Period

CAR (0:10)- Seth Jarvis (11) PP (assisted by Michael Bunting (15) & Sebastian Aho (18))

CAR (4:44)- Brady Skjei (6) (unassisted)

VGK (18:36)- Jack Eichel (15) (assisted by Nicolas Hague (6) & Mark Stone (23))

VGK (19:29)- William Carrier (5) (assisted by Brett Howden (6) & Michael Amadio (11))

My Thoughts

We could sit here and fixate on the two late goals Vegas scored to make it look a little closer than it was, or we could talk about how the Hurricanes just made the defending champions look really bad. I would prefer to do the latter. There are only a few games I can point to and say the Canes were this dominant. Off the top of my head, there's the 4-0 shutout in Tampa, the 4-1 wins in Philadelphia and Ottawa, and the 6-2 win over Buffalo. Funny enough, the common thread in those four, now five, wins is Pyotr Kochetkov. At the very least, this might've been their best home game of the season. It boils down to a few things. First, the Canes were phenomenal on special teams. Second, their second period was as dominant a 20-minute stretch as they've played this season. Third, Kochetkov dominated the goalie battle.

The only thing better than going 3-for-3 is going 4-for-4. Tonight, the Canes were both. The power play set the tone in the first period, and it resulted in a goal on the power play in all three periods. The penalty kill had to fight four chances off, and they did so with little pushback from Vegas. Their second kill late in the first period was arguably the most important in the game. In a 1-1 game, the Golden Knights had a chance to go into the intermission by scoring on the power play. Instead, the Canes held their ground, getting a huge stop from Kochetkov on William Karlsson to help them along. They killed 1:18 before the break and finished it to start the second period. This allowed the floodgates to open shortly after. 

The Canes did almost all of their damage within a few feet of the net. Even if the goal didn't come from within a foot of the crease, their presence in front of Logan Thompson was clearly felt. Andrei Svechnikov's goal from the right dot on the power play was helped by Seth Jarvis in front of the net. Jordan Staal scored on the backdoor after an incredible pass by Jesper Fast. Michael Bunting and Seth Jarvis scored on rebounds in and around the crease. They made life miserable for Thompson all night, so when Brady Skjei managed to score from a little further out to make it 6-1, the Knights had no choice but to pull him. 

While this was a phenomenal game, it's far too early to read into it. We'll see how the team responds in Pittsburgh on Thursday night. Regardless, it's hard not to be impressed with how it all played out. Kochetkov continues to show that he's able to be this team's starter. He didn't have to make the spectacular stops that we've seen him make in recent starts. Tonight, he made the timely stops when the Golden Knights pushed at various points. The late goals will ruin an otherwise great statline for the Canes' starters. His performance, as well as the Canes' stars drowning out the contributions of Vegas' big names, allowed the Canes to jump out to a massive lead and never let go. Now, if only the rest of the division could lose a few games. 

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Pyotr Kochetkov- 30 saves

The two late goals stung a little, considering how great the game had gone to that point, but I can't put any blame on Kochetkov for how the game ended, especially since the 58 minutes before it were so good. Kochetkov has taken the reins and refuses to let go. He's 3-0-1 in his last four starts, with a save percentage hovering around .950. 

2nd Star- Sebastian Aho- 3 assists

On a night when the Golden Knights' stars tried to do everything to provide offense, the Canes' superstar outperformed them all. Aho finished with a game-high seven shots and assisted on all three goals on the power play. Aho now has 30 points for the season as he widened the gap between him and his teammates. 

1st Star- Andrei Svechnikov- 1 goal, 5 hits

On the scoresheet, only scoring one goal might not look impressive. However, Svechnikov returned from injury with a purpose. He came out of the gates firing. He recorded five hits. He played a part in all three goals on the power play, scoring one and drawing two penalties. It might've only been one point, but his magic was all over this game. 

Up Next- As I mentioned, the Canes will be in Pittsburgh for the first time this season on Thursday night to battle the Penguins. It'll be their second overall meeting after the Canes won in Raleigh a month ago. Before going into the Christmas Break, the Canes will host the New York Islanders, the third meeting between the two sides this season. The Islanders won in overtime before the Canes' long road trip. The Canes will return to action after the break with a back-to-back, going to Nashville to face the Predators and returning home to host the Montreal Canadiens.