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Hurricanes vs. Golden Knights: Three reasons why Carolina should prevail

By Ryan Henkel

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Erik Haula #56 of the Carolina Hurricanes turns toward the play during a 2-0 Hurricanes win over the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on October 15, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Erik Haula #56 of the Carolina Hurricanes turns toward the play during a 2-0 Hurricanes win over the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on October 15, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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The Carolina Hurricanes have gone nine days without a game, but tonight may be the best scenario for them to come back and secure a win.

Games back from long breaks typically go one of two ways. Either the team responds positively from the extra time off and has a dominant performance on the ice or the team looks sluggish and unresponsive leading to a horrid display. The Hurricanes have already showed a poor return from a shorter break, but that isn’t to say that we will see the same tonight.

The Vegas Golden Knights are a physical team, but also one that is extremely top heavy. Their top line is essentially their whole engine and while their second line can provide good support and offensive pressure, the team’s depth falls off drastically after that. All in all, Carolina has a good chance to get the ball rolling early for the second-half push to the playoffs.

Here’s three reasons why I think the Carolina Hurricanes will find success tonight.

1. Marc-Andre Fleury will be serving a one-game suspension after deciding to sit out the NHL All-Star Game.

Fleury is one of the greatest goaltenders of this decade and him being out is a huge boost for Carolina. With him electing to serve his suspension tonight, the Canes will more than likely be shooting against Malcolm Subban.

The Golden Knight’s backup goaltender has had a relatively poor season so far with a 6-7-3 record, 3.04 goal against average, and 0.898 save percentage. The Hurricanes should have plenty of opportunity to pile on goals and build on a good crowd atmosphere on a night that should see a high fan turnout excited for the Hurricanes’ return.

2. Defensive Lacks

To add a sour coupling to Vegas’ goaltending woes, the Golden Knights have also been poor on the blueline. With it being no secret that the team has been actively shopping for defensive help, nearly everyone is aware of the Knights’ issues. The defense has been poor and surrendered bounds of grade-A chances to opponents all season and outside of Shea Theodore and Nate Schmidt, who are the best pieces of the top-four, the Vegas blueline has been porous at best.

Theodore is also really Vegas’ only option for transitioning through zones so it makes it substantially easier for the Canes to match up against him. The rest of the Vegas defense should give the Hurricanes a great time to add on a ton of high-danger chances.

3. Break-Time Benefits

For some players, the continuous schedule of games is not helpful when you’ve been struggling. In that case, some may benefit from the the long break, giving them time to get their mind off hockey and relax. Hopefully, these players can come back and not be gripping their sticks tightly and be able to just play their game.

Players like Nino Niederreiter and Jordan Staal may see a big turnaround after the break due to the extra time off giving them a chance to settle their minds and rejuvenate them for an offensive rebound.

Another player that should have a strong rebound is Erik Haula. After being scratched in the Hurricanes’ last game against the Winnipeg Jets, Haula has been sitting on that bitter pill the entire break. With a showdown against his former team, Haula may be geared to put up a strong performance.

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