Knights look to bounce back against former Misfit, Hurricanes
The Golden Knights aren’t the only team going through a bit of a slide.
Their next opponent, the Carolina Hurricanes, have also hit a couple speed bumps the past few months.
But defenseman Alex Pietrangelo expects both teams will want to bounce back from rough losses when they meet Friday at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“They’ve been up and down here the last little while,” Pietrangelo said. “We know we’re feeling the same thing, but we’ve got to put in a good effort here.”
Things have changed since the Knights and Hurricanes last played Nov. 11 at T-Mobile Arena.
The Hurricanes, in Original Misfit William Carrier’s return to Las Vegas, jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second period and chased goaltender Adin Hill from a game for the first and only time this season. Carolina went on to win 5-2 and hand the Knights their first home loss of the year.
“We know what to expect from them,” Pietrangelo said. “They played us pretty well in our building.”
Tale of two teams
Nov. 21 is a key date for both teams.
The Knights (29-12-3) are 18-6-1 since then. They have the second-best points percentage in the NHL in that stretch behind only the Edmonton Oilers.
Times have been tougher Carolina.
The Hurricanes (26-16-3) are 12-12-3 since Nov. 21 with a minus-8 goal differential. They’re still in third place in the Metropolitan Division, but it’s not where the team is used to being. The Hurricanes have won their division three of the last four years.
Carolina’s last two losses show how much the team is reeling.
The Hurricanes fell 3-2 to the Anaheim Ducks in overtime Sunday and lost 4-2 to the reeling Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.
The Knights know the feeling. They’re coming off a 5-3 loss to the disappointing Nashville Predators on Tuesday in their first game against Jonathan Marchessault, the franchise’s all-time leader in goals and points.
“It was a tough one, but that’s the good thing about hockey,” center Tomas Hertl said. “We play right away, and we play a good team tomorrow.”
The Knights would like to get off to a better start than they did Tuesday. Nashville got ahead 2-0 during a dominant first period when it outshot the visitors 11-1.
Starting off well
Coach Bruce Cassidy said one reason the Knights have gotten off to slow starts is because they’ve emphasized handling the puck and establishing a rhythm offensively.
It’s paid off later in games, as the team is tied for the most comeback wins in the NHL with the Washington Capitals (16). The Knights also have 64 third-period goals, tied for the most in the league with the Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets.
Cassidy would still like to see his team start a little faster Friday to kick off a back-to-back. The Knights will travel to Chicago to face the Blackhawks on Saturday.
“We like to make plays. Sometimes, it’s going to take a while,” Cassidy said. “In general, we need to feel the puck a little bit. Once we’re going and we’ve felt it, I think we’re a good team.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
