Alex Tuch scored a crucial power-play goal with just 2:28 left in the third period to give the Vegas Golden Knights a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.
The Hurricanes had tied the game moments earlier, with Sebastian Aho scoring on a power play. But Aho was then called for a hooking penalty with 2:34 left in the game. The Golden Knights took advantage, winning a faceoff and netting the game-winner just 6 seconds into the power play.
“That was a key moment obviously at 3-3 where they had all the momentum,” said Golden Knights coach Peter DeBoer. “I liked our response. We got back on our toes, started to attack, drew a penalty, and scored on the power play. Big goal, big win, and an important start to the road trip.”
Jonathan Marchessault had a goal and an assist in the first 10 minutes, helping Vegas jump to an early lead after a nine-day break. Nate Schmidt and Paul Stastny also scored for the Golden Knights, with Reilly Smith assisting on both first-period goals. Vegas improved to 2-1-1 since DeBoer took over as head coach.
Aho and Teuvo Teravainen each had a goal and an assist, while Brock McGinn added a goal for the Hurricanes, who had won their last two games. Petr Mrazek made 33 saves for Carolina, which rallied after a slow start but couldn’t secure the win.
“It’s terrible,” said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour. “It’s not acceptable to play like that for two periods… They played desperate, they played fast. We just weren’t ready to match that.”
Both teams were playing their first game since Jan. 21, but the Golden Knights looked sharp from the start. Vegas dominated the opening period, recording 13 of the first 15 shots on goal. Stastny opened the scoring just 3:52 into the game, finishing off a feed from Smith. Marchessault doubled the lead at 9:59 after catching Carolina in a line change and beating Mrazek with a wrist shot.
“It’s a key time of year,” Smith said. “We just came out with a little more jump than they did and took advantage of a couple of opportunities.”
Teravainen scored the lone goal of the second period, knocking in a rebound off a Jordan Martinook shot to cut the deficit in half. Schmidt restored Vegas’ two-goal lead early in the third, but Carolina responded quickly with goals from McGinn and Aho to tie the game at 3-3, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
However, the Golden Knights quickly regrouped and secured the win with Tuch’s power-play strike.
“At 3-1 in the third period, you want to close that game out,” Marchessault said. “But good teams find a way to win, and we did.”
Notes
- Carolina made history by becoming the first NHL team to have 13 skaters appear in each of the first 50 games of the season. Nino Niederreiter, one of those players, was a healthy scratch for the 51st game.
- The Golden Knights’ penalty-killing streak of seven straight penalties ended with Aho’s power-play goal. The Hurricanes had killed 13 consecutive penalties over their last five games before Tuch’s game-winner.
Up Next
- Golden Knights: Play at Nashville on Saturday night, the fifth of their eight-game road trip.
- Hurricanes: Host Vancouver on Sunday.