In Raleigh Sunday, the Vegas Golden Knights posted three straight goals to open their game with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Knights used that outburst to cruise to a 5-1 win.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 saves to help Vegas move into the top spot in the NHL with a record of 31-11-4.
“Maybe a little unexpected, right?,” Fleury said. “It’s been a lot of fun. We started this team from scratch and chemistry was built very quick between us. Every night, all the guys bring their best effort. I’m proud of our team to be where we’re at right now.”
Nothing should be unexpected at this point with the Knights. Their gaudy home record is now supported by a glittering road record and with 11 regulation losses in total the club is treating the rest of the NHL like a group of spurned lovers out for revenge.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Colin Miller and Jonathan Marchessault struck for the first period goals to end any hope the Canes had of competing in this one.
“The expectations of where guys need to be (compared to) what was provided wasn’t close,” Hurricanes head coach Bill Peters said. “We need some better play out of some guys. Some guys might be a little too comfortable. There’s no question about that.”
Jaccob Slavin ended the streak when he scored the lone Canes goal in the first on a power play.
“It was a step below the level we want to play at,” the Canes’ Justin Faulk said. “I can’t really pinpoint one thing right now. We just didn’t have it tonight.”
An even step from where teams should be when playing Vegas will not cut it. The Golden Knights are pushing through the NHL with a chip on their collective shoulders for having been banished from their previous teams. In some cases, the hearts and souls of previous clubs were left open for drafting with the all the benefits afforded to Vegas and only regret left for the rest of the league.
James Neal scored in the middle frame and Brendan Leipsic closed out the scoring in the final period.
“Early on in the year, I think we surprised some teams. Now I think every team will get up to play us. It’s just something that will be another test for this group.” Miller said after the win.
And if you think Vegas is not for real, Neal’s comments after the game were telling.
“We weren’t very good in the first period,” Neal said. “Every chance we got, we buried right from the start. Then we continued to get better throughout the game.”
[WATCH: All Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes highlights]
Cam Ward made 23 saves in taking the loss.
“We’ve got to be better in front of our goaltenders. When we play properly and we’re committed and competitive, we have a chance. When we don’t do that for 60 minutes, then we don’t,” Peters said after the loss. “It’s pretty simple for me to see. We can’t have passengers. You’ve got to provide that primary dimension that you’re here for.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.