Vegas Golden Knights vs Carolina Hurricanes Picks and Predictions November 11th 2024

Golden Knights Eye Franchise-Record Home Win Streak as Hurricanes Pay Visit

The Vegas Golden Knights are on the brink of making franchise history. As they gear up to host the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night in Las Vegas, the Golden Knights are eyeing a franchise-record ninth consecutive home win to start the season.

Golden Knights Dominating at T-Mobile Arena

Vegas has been nearly unstoppable at home, boasting an 8-0-0 record at T-Mobile Arena this season. They’ve outscored their opponents 43-19 in those games, showcasing their offensive firepower and defensive prowess. The current eight-game home winning streak matches their best start at home, which was set during their inaugural season in 2017-18 — a year that saw them make a fairytale run to the Stanley Cup Final.

This exceptional home form is a significant reason why the Golden Knights find themselves just one point behind the division-leading Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division. However, their away record is less impressive, with just one win in six road games (1-3-2).

Road Trip Recap: Mixed Results

Vegas returns to T-Mobile Arena after a two-game road trip where they secured a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers and a 4-3 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken. The Golden Knights jumped out to a 2-0 lead against Seattle but needed a late goal from Alex Pietrangelo to force overtime. Pietrangelo’s equalizer came with just 1:22 left on the clock, banking in a fortunate deflection off a Seattle defender’s skate. Unfortunately for Vegas, the Kraken’s Jared McCann sealed the game with a breakaway goal just 29 seconds into overtime.

“We wanted to get four points, but three’s pretty good,” said Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy. “If you look at the big picture, that part is positive. But I felt we had a chance to grab all four, and we let that get away.”

Injury Woes: Mark Stone Sidelined

The win in Edmonton came at a cost for the Golden Knights. Team captain Mark Stone, who is second on the team with 21 points (six goals, 15 assists), suffered a lower-body injury. Stone missed the game against Seattle and is expected to be out for Monday’s matchup against Carolina.

“He’s day-to-day, but we don’t anticipate that he’ll play on Monday,” Cassidy confirmed.

Hurricanes Look to Rebound After Loss

Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes come into Monday’s game looking to bounce back after an eight-game winning streak was snapped by a 6-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night. The Hurricanes’ loss came under challenging circumstances, as extreme winter weather delayed their travel plans, forcing them to fly into Denver on the morning of the game.

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Despite the travel issues, Carolina came out strong, even taking a 3-2 lead in the second period with a power-play goal from Martin Necas. However, Colorado answered with a barrage of three goals in just three minutes to close out the second period, ultimately putting the game out of reach.

“We came out really well,” said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour. “But once we got into it, you could see that we were just hanging on. You can’t hang on against a team like that. We had a couple guys who just didn’t have it tonight.”

Key Players to Watch

• Golden Knights: Without Stone, the pressure will be on players like Jack Eichel and Tanner Pearson to step up. Eichel has been a consistent force this season, while Pearson has been a key contributor during the recent stretch.
• Hurricanes: Jordan Martinook had a standout performance against Colorado with two goals, while Martin Necas continues to be a key offensive driver. The Hurricanes will also be relying on their goaltending duo of Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov to handle Vegas’ potent attack.

Outlook

The Golden Knights will be aiming to set a new franchise record with their ninth consecutive home win, but they’ll need to overcome the absence of their captain, Mark Stone, to do so. On the other hand, the Hurricanes are eager to shake off a tough loss and get back to their winning ways.

This clash between two talented teams will be a true test for both sides, especially for Carolina, who will be trying to spoil the Golden Knights’ home dominance and prevent them from making franchise history.