2023-24 Regular Season, Game 54: Hurricanes at Vegas Golden Knights (Pregame)

The Hurricanes took control in Tempe last night and refused to relinquish it as they took down the Arizona Coyotes. Jordan Martinook scored just 16 seconds into the game, and the lead was 2-0 less than five minutes in after Jalen Chatfield added to it. Dylan Guenther got one back for the Coyotes before the end of the period, but Seth Jarvis' goal early in the second period put the momentum in the Canes' camp for good. Teuvo Teravainen scored on the power play late in the second to get the special teams involved. Michael Bunting tallied one more in the third period to ice the game for good. Pyotr Kochetkov made 30 stops, and Martin Necas and Jack Drury finished with multi-assist nights as the Canes took down the Coyotes 5-1 in their second stop on the road trip. 

The Opponent: Vegas Golden Knights (31-16-6, 68 Points- 2nd in the Pacific Division)
Last Meeting- The Hurricanes ran roughshod on the defending champions when they visited Raleigh before Christmas. Things were tight in the first period, with Andrei Svechnikov scoring on the power play and William Carrier getting it back a few minutes later. The Canes scored five unanswered goals to stretch their lead as Jordan Staal, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Michael Bunting (PP), Seth Jarvis (PP), and Brady Skjei found the back of the net to force Logan Thompson out of the game. Vegas scored twice in the final 1:24, but it was far from enough as the Canes won 6-3. Bunting and Sebastian Aho finished with three points each as 11 skaters found the scoresheet. Pyotr Kochetkov finished with 30 saves in the win.

Since We Last Met- The loss in Raleigh began a four-game losing streak and a stretch of eight losses in 11 games. Since then, they've gone 7-2-1 in their last ten, maintaining their spot in second place in the Pacific Division. They've been able to do it with injuries to Jack Eichel, William Carrier, and others. Mark Stone continues to pace the team with 52 points, while Jonathan Marchessault is approaching 30 goals, sitting with 27 entering tonight. Their goalie duo of Logan Thompson and Adin Hill is one of the best in the league. It'll take a lot for them to reach Vancouver at the top of the division, but it's not completely out of the question yet. They should be more concerned about Edmonton creeping up behind them. 

Stories/Keys of the Game
1. Translating Their Raleigh Performance to Vegas
While Vegas did score twice at the end of the game in Raleigh, this game wasn't remotely close for the final 40 minutes. It might be wishful thinking to assume we see the same thing with the change of venue, especially since Vegas controls the matchups. It might be even harder since the Canes played last night. Their first meeting was a full-team effort between the forwards, defensemen, and Antti Raanta. I'd have a little more confidence if this were a game between two well-rested teams, but the Canes feel like they've been set up to fail through no one's wrong-doing. Having this be the second half of a back-to-back on the road feels cruel. However, I have no doubt the team will be able to rise to the occasion. 

2. The Top Line Needs to Get Going
This season, it has been extremely rare that Sebastian Aho has been a non-factor in back-to-back games. On both stops during this road trip, he's been held with a point and just two shots in the win over Arizona. Andrei Svechnikov has been back in the lineup for three games now, and he hasn't done much, either. Rod Brind'Amour put Jesper Fast on the top line for last night's game, which helped a little, but this line needs to find the scoresheet in Vegas, regardless of who the third guy on the line is. It'll be even more important with Spencer Martin in the net, who hasn't played in over three weeks. While I have confidence in Martin's ability to get the job done, it would be nice to score a lot of goals against one of the best defensive teams in the league.

3. Who is Going to be Ready for Vegas?
Vegas hasn't played a game since Monday, when they lost to the Wild. With this extended time off, they've been awarded the opportunity to have some of their injured players heal. While it seems unlikely that Shea Theodore will be back in the lineup tonight, it leaves the door open for others, like Jack Eichel, William Carrier, and Pavel Dorofeyev, to get back in the lineup. While there is no point in speculating on who will be playing, the return of someone like Eichel makes them instantly more dangerous.

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