Recap: The Golden Knights wrapped up their three game road trip with a matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes. The home team struck first 3:46 into the game. Minutes later Pavel Dorofeyev evened the score 1-1 with his eighth goal of 2025-26. Late in the opening period Dorofeyev added his ninth goal of the season.
Leading 2-1, the Golden Knights turned the puck over leading to a game-tying breakaway. After two periods the game was locked in a 2-2 tie.
Carolina took a 3-2 lead quickly into he final twenty minutes but Vegas answered back. Brett Howden tied the game with his second goal of 2025-26. Jack Eichel took over late as he snapped the tie and extended VGK’s lead to 5-3. Tomas Hertl finished the game off with an empty net score.
The Golden Knights’ record improves to 6-1-3 defeating the Hurricanes 6-3 in Carolina. Next up, Vegas will travel home for a six-game homestand beginning on Friday. Puck drop against the Colorado Avalanche is scheduled for 1 PM. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: Of the 10 games to open this season, the best two (by a pretty wide margin) have come against the Carolina Hurricanes. It started slowly, again, but it didn’t take too long for VGK to get going in this one. After the first TV timeout they found their skating legs and started to dominate possession of the puck. Carolina wouldn’t go away and there was a massive post that saved the Golden Knights in the 3rd, but the better team won this one. (Analysis by Ken)
Upcoming stories from the Vegas Golden Knights vs. Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.
- Schedule doesn’t get easier from here coming home
Ken’s Three VGK Stars
*** Brett Howden
** Pavel Dorofeyev
* Jack Eichel
Pistol Pete
Time to gloat.
Okay are we now going to stay positive and look to the upside when we struggle?
What an effort following the Florida games and comes as no surprise not to me anyways.
Going into this one I considered Howden an upgrade over Sissons at 4C. Health permitting elsewhere Sissons is the scratch is my call. All of a sudden Cole Reinhardt is having himself a very respectable season four games in.
Reinhardt-Howden-Kolesar
I am liking i.t.
Pistol Pete
The way Howden has been coming along his last season he can be more impactful than Roy. McCrimmon probably reasoned this. Eichel/Hertl/Karlsson/Howden down the middle that is strong. Sissons is out in my book.
Pistol Pete
Just to clarify, McCrimmon probably envisioned Howden as Roy’s replacement in letting him go to Toronto. I am not sure any of us thought of this. At the same time he was hoping to make the most out of Sissons in the deal for Hague. Howden has been on a trajectory since last season to be more impactful than Sissons ever was.
Larry
Pete, no gloating. As with OJ and Barry when they crossed the goal line and scored, hand the ball to the nearest official and act like you’ve been there before and celebrate with your teammates, in this case the VGK fans. Thank you.
Pistol Pete
Gloat? Relax buddy you take the term too effing seriously. Nothing arrogant or malicious intended. Just having a little fun with the negative Nellies whose posts populated this board following the Florida games.
Larry
Very well Pete, duly noted.
Vic
Only regret was not betting on the VGK as I had the feeling they would wake up. Happy that Jack took care of business after his lost PK face off and horrible PP giveaway let to 2 goals which almost spelled doom. He’s allowed to screw up and then become the #1 star. He is unreal. Nice turnaround game.
Larry
I agree Vic, that turnover was horrible, very Theodore like, but I also felt he should have been bailed out by Schmid on that one as it was a leaky goal in my opinion, otherwise he played an excellent game in net.
Richie-Rich
Game 9 Summary VGK 6 CAR 3
Pacific 1st Place
West 2nd Place
League 4th Place
The Hurricanes simply do not have the right match ups vs the Golden Knights. That’s my conclusion. The VGK did not seem to struggle at all in either of the games against them this year.
Howden & Reinhardt are making a case!
Stars?
Howden ***
Dorofeyev **
Eichel *
Richie-Rich
6 wins, 1 loss, and 3 ties = Game 10 Summary!
TS
That speaks for itself, rr…
Enuf said!!
Pistol Pete
More like the way the dice rolled imo not the specific matchups we played well against the Canes and not the two games in Florida. It happens. We are one of the top ranked teams and we just beat one of the other top ranked teams twice. If you think we don’t match up well against FLA or TBL I guess we’ll find out this upcoming homestand.
trade
Very Nice comeback win.
That is 2 wins for Schmid over Carolina in one week.
Jack and Barby had big success late with Holtz on their wing.
Notice that Whitecloud and Hutton got benched after giving up that 3rd goal. It was all 27 and 3, and 6 and 5 down the stretch.
Pistol Pete
No points for Holtz he landed 5 shots pretty encouraging. With Stone back I would expect to see him back with Karlsson leaving Saad and Reinhardt to fight it out for 4LW. This team has excellent forwards depth.
Larry
I agree Pete, Holtz was noticeable all game, he is really committing himself to be defensively responsible and skating and moving hard in all zones, maybe soon he will be rewarded by scoring a goal and that perhaps can springboard him.
I also greatly appreciated that he stuck his nose into the mini scrum involving Eichel, standing up for his line mate and most important player on the team, I’m sure his teammates took notice as well.
JB
Very nice win! 15 out of 20 points to start season. Not bad!
Emmanuel
Its encouraging that they can beat teams outside the Pacific.
Aho was pretty much throttled.
Larry
VGK was fast , efficient and were buzzing around the net all game, their goalie stood on his head to give his team a chance, the Avs on Nevada Day will be yet another test for Schmid and the boys, I will definitely be glued to the big screen before celebrating Halloween!
Scott
The game was excellent. One of the three best of the season. Ken, I think the game vs. Calgary was certainly also one of the best this year so far.
TS
Nice effort by everyone! Even Theo handled the puck well, no giveaways.
Looks like we all picked the same 3 stars of this game. Really good to see Howden play so well.He will be a big impact- maker this season!
Not a bad road trip, even with the losses..those early games are rough for the guys!
Long home stance next, plenty of chances to add wins…
Leonard Wise
Actually if Sissons comes back soon. I would move Howden to the first line and move Saad to the forth line. It’s more important to solidify the first line not the forth.
Pistol Pete
Holtz played a very solid game 5 shots plus a post. My money has him staying with Eichel going into the Avs game. I really think Cassidy probably views Howden at 4C as a key piece. If Holtz produces with Eichel I see him with Karlsson when Stone returns. I would scratch Sissons to keep Howden at 4C. 4LW between Saad and Reinhardt. Reinhardt will never get close to what Saad did in his prime but he’s as big (both listed at 6’1” 207) a speedy skater (like Saad) but 8 years younger which is huge. Seems unlikely we see Saad here next season unless he is just really good.
Pistol Pete
Would have included this in my response above had I listened to it first. Cassidy very positive on Holtz, he was having trouble finding that second winger for Eichel to play the walls and get the puck to him, Holtz was doing this. This and more.
https://youtu.be/jIxItlZm3nY
Larry
There was a famous character back in the 40’s and 50’s called the Invisible Man, the more I watch of Saad the more I am reminded of that character, when you see a pickup like Reinhardt play a fast and impactful game, my feeling of Saad being waived at the 30 game mark looks ever more a possibility.
steve
Haha i actually remember watching all those type movies with my dad way back when and ive read your posts back and forth with pistol pete, and the more i watch the more i can see your side of things about Saad, im not sure about the 30 game thing and how it affects the salary cap?
TS
Leonard, Did Howden add some bulk in the off- season ? He looks and plays more physical, bigger presence.
I could be wrong. I DO like what i’m seeing from him.
Pistol Pete
OT: Mitch go Blue Jays go!!!
TS
Pp, Can you imagine being there for that unreal 7 hour game?? This is a series for the books— and i don’t even follow baseball…until now.
Pistol Pete
I am beginning to warm up to Jeremy Lauzon. He’s a decent skater for a man his size and is showing a nose for offense here: 2A in 10 games +2 is respectable. Takes too many penalties is the only thing but that should be addressable. Tall order for a guy like Kmec to come over and displace him depending on how the rest of the season goes. Just 28 years old. Cassidy coached him in Boston which helps. He looks more a keeper than Sissons thus far but it’s early.
Have to say again Marner is showing as advertised 12 pts in 10 games is what he does in his career. Players like this make everybody around them better. Don’t worry he can score too.
JB
Ya know, we may not have as much talent overall as some teams, but when we play hard we are as good as anyone in this here NHL! Even with a couple key players missing.
Canada
After five games i was going down to put a good bet on the Knights for the whole thing after 10 im not so sure . New season comments I like Lazon i think he is a solid d man and i’ve seen him do some really good things Sissons not so much . Saad is a mystery he seems to come to life and plays like a first liner then he fades to a fourth liner cant figure him out, Marner helps really brought the pp to life and he has a monkey to get off his back come playoffs hopefully after we win Gold at the Olympics we see that . Eichel gets better every day however i can not forget his lackadaisical playoffs last year, He has to prove he can lead this team when Stone is injured and that seems to happens a lot, Give him the C at the right time and see if he can rise to the occasion. Great to see him redeem himself last night . Watched a bit of the Panthers game and we looked like a October team playing a March team , we need to play heavier against these better teams . i’m still hopeful, looking forward to seeing the Colorado game . Go Blue Jays
Larry
2 last items:
Cassidy still hasn’t got the memo concerning the Power Play and returning Marner to the point but I’m still holding out hope.
But someone who did get the memo was Eichel, instead of doing his usual dipsy do on his breakaways and ending up to close to the goalie, he just unleashed that lethal wrist shot to beat the goalie cleanly, was great to see!
Pistol Pete
Cassidy must have his reasons to get a look at Marner in a different spot. He’s new here so he needs more looks. He’s known to be versatile on the PP.
Larry
Anything to put Shea on the bench during the man advantage is a net positive.
Pistol Pete
Cassidy can’t agree. Theo has a ton of PP points is his career in fact he just assisted on Pav’s goal plus Marner could well prove better in Stone’s spot than Stone himself, the guy’s mobility and passing is off the charts. If they don’t cover him down there he’ll sneak to the front and put it in himself!
Larry
Totally disagree with that assessment Pete, Stone is indispensable in that spot, feeding Hertl, feeding Pavel, driving to the net strong, digging for pucks in the corner, keeping plays alive with that long stick too.
NAM
In my mind VGK were expected to win this game or at least look better in it. CAR is a good team, but don’t take away time and space like FLA and TB do. VGK can beat any one that gives them the space to do it. Regardless, it is nice to see them win and look like they deserve to win in the process. 3 points on this trip is great.
I hope this trip is a lesson on what the team needs to work on or build towards if they want to have a chance to win in the playoffs.
Pistol Pete
Looking forward to seeing how much FLA and TBL time and space they actually take away this upcoming homestand. Apparently neither has been doing it very consistently up to this point if you believe their records.
NAM
Wait what? Why would FLA or TB’s record be effected by their playing style? That is a strange comment. Just because they play this way or maybe just play this way against Vegas doesn’t mean they will win or lose.
Pistol Pete
You mean these teams play “take away time and space” only against teams like Vegas, or is it all the time against everybody? Not saying you are wrong not yet anyways just trying to get my head around it. Taking away time and space is integral to to all defensive structures is it not? When a team is playing tight and fast offense it’s impossible to consistently deprive them of time and space, no? VGK did not play fast and tight in Florida they did against the Canes both games. The whole point is for a team to be consistent on both sides of the puck or else they are more likely to lose. You seem to be implying FLA’s and TBL’s defensive style thwarts VGK’s ability to play fast and tight. I am not there there yet. Vegas was not executing up to their capabilities is my take. If these teams play is nuanced in the way you suggest Cassidy can take countermeasures. I did not hear Darren Elliot mention any matchup issues and he knows everything about the game. Bright guy, tended goal at Cornell.
NAM
I am absolutely saying FLA and TB during this road trip played to Vegas weakness. Whether they do it all the time I don’t give a shit or beat other teams I really don’t care, it was never my point. Vegas FUCKING SUCKS when they don’t have time and space. THEY DON’T SCORE to the point where they set a franchise history low shots on goal during the TB game. In the playoffs last year they didn’t score for something like 127 minutes of straight hockey, because this version of the Vegas team FUCKING SUCKS when they don’t have time in space.
Pistol Pete
But NAM that was last year. We are trying to correct what went wrong and have the whole season to work on it. The finesse of Marner, Eichel keeps improving, Pav is stronger and faster, Hertl looks good. Cassidy and McCrimmon have this notion that if the team can get inside and to front of the net standard practice in the regular season, it will translate to the playoffs. It might just!
Meanwhile let’s effing take FLA an TBL to the cleaners next week!
Pistol Pete
Here is what you said:
“CAR is a good team, but don’t take away time and space like FLA and TB do. VGK can beat any one that gives them the space to do it”
I said:
“Looking forward to seeing how much FLA and TBL time and space they actually take away this upcoming homestand”
Your claim was these teams did this to the VGK in Florida and the Canes were not able to implying that is why we beat CAR and could not beat FLA and TBL, so we’ll see if it works this week at T-Mobile. If it does not it will put into question your contention.
I went on to say:
“Apparently neither has been doing it very consistently up to this point if you believe their records.”
By this I meant if they can win doing this against a good scoring team like Vegas why have they struggled ti win a number of their games so far?
Frankly I think both teams were desperate with how their seasons were going came out and played tough and pretty tight against the VGK and the VGK did not play well enough.
We’ll see NAM. These teams might shut us down at T-Mobile supporting your contention on this.
Pistol Pete
Already gone on too long on this but you raise a key issue NAM. Get your point finally, the FLA and TBL games remind us of the EDM series. Fair point so how do we improve as a team to avoid this quagmire next time around? McCrimmon himself admitted we ran up against a better team in EDM so what is to be done about it?
Add support on the wing : Marner, Pav stronger and faster.
Eichel keeps improving.
Playoffs-style scoring all season long: Hone the ability to get inside to the front of the net. Avoid getting cheap perimeter goals to win regular season games. Play play-offs style drive the net hockey all season long. Net front grease, rebounds, second chance pucks.
Tim
Probably the toughest road trip of the year. 5 recently crowned Stanley Cup winners facing off. To get 3 out of 6 points was expectable considering the only game we did’t compete in was Florida. Take into account Stone and Hannifin didn’t play I feel pretty good.
knights fan in minny
Good win solid win very enjoyable game to watch Reinhardt deserves A spot