Hurricanes-Golden Knights gameday: Into the desert for Stanley Cup Final Game 3
The Carolina Hurricanes’ one trip to Las Vegas during the regular season was not a good one.
It came in October, and the Vegas Golden Knights took a 4-1 victory at T-Mobile Arena to hand the Canes their first loss of the season after five straight wins. Sebastian Aho scored the Carolina goal while the top storyline was Vegas goalie Akira Schmid making 22 saves after Adin Hill left in the first period with an injury.
The odds of the two teams playing again in June in Las Vegas probably were not great, but not unreasonable. And here they are, matched up in the Stanley Cup Final and tied 1-1 in the best-of-seven series.
The first two games of the Final have produced some unforgettable hockey at Lenovo Center as Vegas outlasted the Hurricanes in Game 1, and the Canes rallied to take Game 2 in overtime on a Seth Jarvis power-play goal. Many expect it to be more of the same in the next two games in Las Vegas amid all the glitter that accompanies games at T-Mobile Arena and especially the added accoutrements surely planned for the Stanley Cup Final and to be on display Saturday in Game 3.
“The way the games have played out, it certainly has added to the stress on the coaches,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour quipped Friday. “But it’s also very enjoyable, right? I think it has been very entertaining for everybody and I hope that continues.”
The Hurricanes have not lost a road game in the playoffs this season, going 6-0, which can’t be overlooked, even as Brind’Amour tried to downplay it Friday before the team’s charter flight.
“Again, we’ve been through a lot of it and I think we understand the game really doesn’t change and it shouldn’t change just because you change venues,” he said. “I think we understand that. Everyone talks about that but once you’ve been through it, you can understand what that is.
“The crowd cheers for different things but the game’s still there and if you do it right, your game should still be the same. Every team that plays this time of year, they all get that. They play the same way, play the same on the road as they do at home. There’s not a lot of variation.”
The Canes’ six road wins include overtime victories against the Philadelphia Flyers (Game 4) and Montreal Canadiens (Game 3) as Carolina also has posted a 6-0 record in overtime games.
Game 2 OT thrill lingers
A day after one of the most thrilling games ever played at Lenovo Center, there was still much to discuss, rehash and relive about the 4-3 victory over the Golden Knights.
The Canes trailed 2-0 with 10 minutes left in regulation. They scored three straight goals to take the lead, had Vegas tie it late and then won in overtime, leaving everyone in the building limp and straining vocal cords.
One of the most discussed calls, on social media and among national media, centered on the sequence in the Carolina crease with about five minutes left in regulation. Canes goalie Frederik Andersen was trying to grab and smother the puck, which ended up in the net.
Had the goal stood, Vegas would have led, 3-2. But goaltender interference was called, and the goal waved off on the ice. Vegas head coach John Tortorella used his coach’s challenge, but the call was upheld, with the ruling that Vegas’ Ivan Barbashev interfered with Andersen.
The unsuccessful challenge gave the Canes a power play, and Jordan Staal’s goal gave the Canes a 3-2 lead.
Andersen, asked Friday about the play, said, “Yeah, I think there was some contact with the glove, for sure. I was going to try and cover the puck.”
Andersen was the starting goalie for Carolina in the October regular-season visit to Vegas. The goaltending dynamic for both teams changed as the season unfolded — Brandon Bussi coming off the waiver wire to star and carry Carolina, Vegas signing Carter Hart — but it’s Andersen vs. Hart in the Cup Final as Bussi and Hill are the backups.
Scouting the Golden Knights
The Golden Knights have had forward Brett Howden become a scoring machine of sorts. His two goals Friday in Game 2 gave him 13 for the playoffs after a 12-goal regular season, as he has been used on William Karlsson’s line with winger Mitch Marner.
“I think he’s in the moment,” Tortorella said Friday. “I think the line’s been good since we put it together. I don’t think he’s afraid of a damn thing, the playoffs, what comes with it, the flows of it. I think he feels that good about himself.”
A big concern for Vegas during and after the game was the status on defenseman Brayden McNabb, who was hit in the face with a shot. McNabb immediately left the ice and later was taken to a hospital for evaluation and treatment.
“He’s a vital part of this team and has been for a long time, and it was tough not to have him in that game,” Karlsson said Friday.
Tortorella said Friday that McNabb, who teams with Shea Theodore on Vegas’ top D pairing, would return to Las Vegas with the team but had no further update on his availability.
“We’re good. We’re ready to play,” Tortorella said. “I like a lot of things that have gone on the first two games. I like our team, where we’re at.”
Stanley Cup Final schedule
- Game 3: 8 p.m. Saturday, June 6, Carolina at Vegas, ABC
- Game 4: 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, Carolina at Vegas, ABC
- Game 5, 8 p.m. Thursday, June 11, Vegas at Carolina, ABC
- Game 6, if necessary: 8 p.m. Sunday, June 14, Carolina at Vegas
- Game 7, if necessary: 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 17, Vegas at Carolina
The games can be watched online at ABC.com, but you will need to provide your TV provider and sign-in. The Stanley Cup Finals will be available on the ESPN+ app.
