VGK vs Carolina Hurricanes

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After a 10 day bye week, the Las Vegas Golden Knights had a chance to rest a recuperate for the second part of their eight-game road stretch. The next stop was against the top-ranked Carolina Hurricanes on Friday the 31st.

 

This will be the last game of January for both these teams, and both couldn’t have had more different stories coming into the game. The Hurricanes were coming off a dominating 4-1 performance against Winnipeg last Tuesday. Carolina went into the ten-day bye week on a two-game win streak that had seen their opponents offense suffocated under the weight of their defense winch has only averaged 2.5 goals per game this season so far.

The Golden Knights, on the other hand, found themselves amid a four-game losing streak earlier in the month, resulting in the replacement of Head Coach Gerald Gallant. The Golden Knights now coached by ex-rival Head Coach, Peter DeBoer, sought to salvage their season, but several tough gut-wrenching losses saw the Knights go into their bye week trying to regain their identity as a team.

To make a tough situation worse, the Golden Knights would have to play without star goalie Mark-Andre Fleury. Fleury was put on a one-game suspension for his decision to sit out the NHL All-Star game this year to rest his body for the upcoming games. Leaving the Golden Knights with no choice but to go into Friday night’s game with back up goalie Malcolm Subban who has struggled thus far this season when in the lineup; going (6-7-3) this season when starting on the ice.

 

But the Golden Knights were not shaken by the absence of their star Goalie. Instead, the Knights started fast and got up over the shocked Hurricanes 2-0 in the first period.

 

The Golden Knights referred back to a quicker, more aggressive offensive strategy and overwhelmed the Hurricanes defense with a tremendous amount of shots-on-goal. They kept them on their heels the entire first period.

The Hurricanes responded 9:55 into the second period with a goal by star Left-winger, Teuvo Teravainnen, Who leads their team with 50 PTS and 11 goals scored overall this season. The Hurricanes were in a 2-1 deficit going into the second period but came out seeking to tie the game in the third They overwhelmed the Golden Knights’ backup goalie with a flurry of shots. They used physical play close to the net to create shot opportunities.

Using this strategy, the Hurricanes scored back to back goals with under eight minutes to go in the game to tie it up 3-3. But eventually, the Hurricanes would make a costly error, when Sebastian Aho was called for hooking with 3:34 left in the game, making him the third Hurricanes player to be sent to the box. The Golden Knights took full advantage. Winning the ensuing face-off, setting up the game-winning goal by Alex Tuch, and sealing the victory.

 

The win gave the Golden Knights a much-needed victory against a strongly favored opponent.

 

The Knights showed great improvements on the offensive side, using more space in the ice to push the puck and put defenders in difficult spots to defend the goal from their advance. The Knights skated much faster and more efficiently on the ice as well, recreating an overwhelming style of play that landed them in the playoffs two years in a row. The Knights defense also played well, giving backup Goalie Malcolm Subban a chance to make more plays on shots closer to the net, and earning him his seventh win of the season.

Next Vegas will head to Nashville to take on the Predators, as part of a back to back game weekend. Nashville is also coming off a two-game win streak, and while they are not as tough on defense as Carolina, the Predators have played good hockey thus far this season going 24-19-7 and averaging 3.34 goals per game.

 

However, the Golden Knights will have their starting Goalie back in Fluery, and with the way that the Golden Knights have been playing as of late, they should have a ton of confidence rolling into Carolina.

 

VGK vs Carolina Hurricanes     VGK vs Carolina Hurricanes     VGK vs Carolina Hurricanes     VGK vs Carolina Hurricanes

 

Las Vegas! If you want another great place to watch the game, head to Al’s Garage in Summerlin. There are multiple televisions to watch all the games. Al’s has “Happy Hour” starting at 9 AM and ending at 9 PM. Al’s Garage is located at 11760 W. Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89135. Tell them, “The Franchise sent you!!”

 

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