Hurricanes pin Golden Knights with first home loss

Jordan Staal, Eric Robinson and Jesperi Kotkaniemi each had a goal and an assist as the Carolina Hurricanes handed the Vegas Golden Knights their first home loss of the season, prevailing 5-2 on Monday night in Las Vegas.

Tyson Jost and Jordan Martinook also scored goals for Carolina, which picked up its ninth win in its past 10 games. Pyotr Kochetkov made 30 saves.

Jack Eichel had a goal and an assist and Ivan Barbashev also scored for Vegas, which had a franchise-record-tying eight-game home winning streak snapped. Adin Hill stopped 17 of 21 shots before being replaced by Akira Schmid, who finished with 12 saves in his Golden Knights debut.

Carolina took a 1-0 lead at the 4:24 mark of the first period when Robinson, stationed in front of the crease, redirected Sean Walker’s point shot through Hill’s pads for his fourth goal of the season.

Kotkaniemi made it 2-0 at 12:46 of the period when he roofed in a rebound of his own shot at the end of a three-on-two rush for his second goal of the campaign.

The Hurricanes extended their lead to 3-0 early in the second period when Staal scooped up a turnover in the high slot and drilled a one-timer in off the crossbar for his second goal this season, with this one coming short-handed.

Jost extended the lead to 4-0 a few minutes later, as Jaccob Slavin’s blast from the left point caromed in off Jost’s leg and went inside the near post. Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy then pulled Hill for Schmid.

Eichel made it 4-1 at the 6:11 mark of the third period with his fifth goal of 2024-25.

Martinook scored into an empty net at 14:28 to once again make it a four-goal game before Barbashev closed the scoring with a power-play marker with 13 seconds left in regulation.

Exit mobile version