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Golden Knights Analysis

Knights get Goalie’d, Hurricanes Stave Off Comeback

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The Vegas Golden Knights have now lost four straight against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Golden Knights started strong and prevented the Hurricanes from getting to their game for the majority of the first period. They outshot Carolina 13-7 and had eight high-danger chances to Carolina’s one.



The Golden Knights capitalized on a turnover just over four minutes into the second period. Victor Olofsson intercepted a stretch pass from Dmitry Orlov, entered the zone, and passed to Tomรกลก Hertl. Hertl passed back to Alex Pietrangelo and got the puck back after a lucky bounce. Hertl then deked around Jalen Chatfield and roofed it on the backhand to break the ice.

Keegan Kolesar had a breakaway, but was slashed by Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker and awarded a penalty shot. Pyotr Kochetkov made the stop.

And then, the collapse.

The Hurricanes went on to score the next three goals. Hurricanes winger Jordan Martinook won a stick battle with Noah Hanifin, and Seth Jarvis beat both Alex Pietrangelo and Adin Hill.

Less than a minute into the third period, the Hurricanes exited their zone with numbers. Alex Pietrangelo forced Hurricanes rookie Jackson Blake to the outside, and Blake backhanded the puck across the ice. Hanifin tried nullifying Blake’s pass, but the puck took an unlucky bounce off his stick and past Hill.

The Golden Knights pushed but fell victim to overpassing. Hanifin pinched, and Jordan Martinook intercepted a pass intended for Ivan Barbashev who was parked back-door. Martinook flipped the puck out of the zone, and Seth Jarvis gloved it down and fed Jordan Staal. Pietrangelo couldn’t negate the return pass, and Jarvis fired home his second of the game.

Just like that, it was 3-1.

Positive Takeaways

The Golden Knights failed to find the equalizer tonight, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. The Hurricanes aren’t easy to score on. They allow the second-fewest shots against per game. Pyotr Kochetkov stood tall all game, saving 29 of 31 shots and posting a save percentage of .935.

The penalty kill was called upon four times and was perfect. The power play continues to look like a top-five unit, and it was on the man advantage that the Golden Knights cut Carolina’s lead to a one-goal deficit. Mark Stone screened Kochetkov perfectly, and Shea Theodore rifled one off the post and in.

The Vegas Golden Knights drop two straight for the fifth time this season. The Golden Knights have lost four in their last five games, all coming in regulation. In that stretch, they’ve outshot their opponents 150-114 but have been outscored 15-10 and blanked once. Over the four losses, they’ve been outscored 14-6. Simply put, they’re in a scoring slump. The Golden Knights are fifth in the league in goals per game, so this stretch is an outlier, not a trend.

The Golden Knights are set to face off against the Chicago Blackhawks tomorrow at United Center at 5 p.m.