RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night, propelled by a pair of goals from Seth Jarvis.
Jarvis began his scoring spree with a close-range effort in the second period, cleaning up in front of the net for his initial goal. He then added a second goal early in the third period, finishing a two-on-one break at the 6:09 mark. The Hurricanes found themselves down 1-0 after Tomas Hertl netted the opening goal for Vegas in the second. However, they bounced back with three consecutive goals, including a third from Jackson Blake, who took advantage of a tip-off from Vegas defenseman Noah Hanifin.
Pyotr Kochetkov was instrumental in the win, making a total of 29 saves, including a crucial stop on Keegan Kolesar during a penalty shot in the second period that could have given the Golden Knights a 2-0 advantage. Kochetkov faced an early onslaught of shots from Vegas, which outshot Carolina 13-7 in the first period but failed to convert any opportunities.
The Golden Knights did manage to make things interesting late in the third period when Shea Theodore, with Mark Stone screening Kochetkov, scored on a power play, narrowing the deficit to 3-2. Adin Hill, the goaltender for Vegas, recorded 25 saves during the match.
The loss adds to a troubling trend for the Golden Knights, who entered the week tied for the NHL points lead but have now dropped four of their last five games.
On the other hand, this victory allowed the Hurricanes to break a two-game losing streak. The team previously lost in overtime to the Anaheim Ducks at home and fell to the Buffalo Sabres earlier in the week.
A pivotal play in the game was Jarvis’s goal, which ultimately provided the winning margin. It was set up by Jordan Martinook, who intercepted a pass in the slot, with captain Jordan Staal then advancing the puck up the left side before feeding Jarvis, who fired it inside the post for a 3-1 advantage.
In terms of statistics, despite dominating the first period in shots, Vegas could not find the back of the net. The upcoming schedule includes the Golden Knights facing the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night, while the Hurricanes will also meet the Blackhawks on Monday in the first of two consecutive away games.
