With the defending Stanley Cup champs coming to town, the Carolina Hurricanes brought their A-game, scoring six goals to earn a win and a point for the fifth-straight game. 

The difference in the game was special teams. Carolina (17-12-3) went 3-for-3 on the power play and shut down the Golden Knights’ power play (21-7-5), killing off all four-man advantages Vegas had. The Knights entered the contest in the top ten in both special team categories, but the Hurricanes stood up to the challenge and it paid off.

“They were just better than us tonight in pretty much every area,” said Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy. “Quicker to pucks, puck battles, and then special teams obviously outscore us 3-0. You’re not winning if you get outscored in special teams.”

Right wing Andrei Svechnikov returned for the first time in six games, recording an opening goal and five hits. Svechnikov came out flying, clearly trying to set the tone by landing big hits. His opening goal on the power play electrified the Caniacs and gave a jolt to the rest of the team, who proved that this team is still a force to be reckoned with.

“It gave me a little confidence, and the first goal is always important for the team,” Svechnikov said. “I had some juice … tried to hit some guys and make it easier on the boys.”

After killing off the Golden Knights’ first power play opportunity of the night, center Martin Necas drew a slashing penalty seconds later, giving the Canes the man advantage just over halfway through the first. Practice with the team’s first power play unit yesterday paid off for Svechnikov, who snapped the puck past Knights goaltender Logan Thompson to open the scoring.

Vegas responded shortly after with a scrappy goal courtesy of left wing William Carrier. On a shot from the point that hit a few skates, Carrier located the puck and found the back of the net in tight to make it a 1-1 game.

Carolina’s special teams were lethally effective throughout the contest. Both the penalty kill and power play went perfect on the night — each power play goal featured a different goal-scorer. The common factor between the three goals? Center Sebastian Aho.

On each power play, Aho recorded an assist. Whether it was setting up a teammate with a cross-ice pass or generating a rebound with a shot from the faceoff circle, Aho came up huge. After going 0 for 5 on the power play as a team the game before, the alternate captain showed why he’s one of the leaders.

After an even first period, the Canes dominated the rest of the game, starting in the second period by dominating offensive zone possession and keeping the Golden Knights in their own end.

Center Jordan Staal is mostly known for doing the dirty work and shutting down the opponent’s best player, but he also found the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season. Staal raced down the ice and beat Vegas center Jack Eichel to the net, meeting right wing Jesper Fast who lasered a pass to Staal and tipped it in to take a 2-1 lead. 

“That was a heck of a nice goal,” Brind’Amour said. “You haven’t seen a lot of that. [Staal’s line hasn’t] been rewarded for what they’ve done all year.”

Carolina’s relentless offensive zone pressure paid off again when center Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored off his own rebound after the Canes had kept the puck in Vegas’ zone for nearly a minute. This was Kotkaniemi’s ninth goal of the season and snapped a 10-game goalless drought. 

Just over two minutes later the Canes got back on the power play; left wing Michael Bunting scored his seventh goal of the season and his fourth on the power play. Aho fired a puck on net, and Bunting was there to clean up the rebound, slapping a shot past Thompson.

Following a standing ovation from the crowd at the conclusion of the second frame, the Hurricanes didn’t let off the gas. Within the first 10 seconds of the third, Carolina drew a penalty and center Seth Jarvis scored on the power play. 

Getting in front of the net, Jarvis located a rebound from Bunting’s shot and stuffed the puck home. His goal extends his point streak to three games as he only trails Aho in points on the team in the past 16 games. 

“[Jarvis] is a competitor,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s got a willingness to do what he has to do to be successful. Obviously, he’s got a lot of talent and skill, but he’s got a will too. We’re seeing that every night.”

From his signature spot at the left faceoff circle, defenseman Brady Sjkei stole the puck and ripped a wrister above the glove of Thompson. With six goals against, Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy had seen enough and pulled their goalie — the first time Vegas has had to do so all year. 

In the leftover minutes of the third period, once the game had already been decided, Vegas put up two more goals of their own. Eichel deflected a puck through Canes netminder Pyotr Kochetkov to extend his point streak to 11 games. Under a minute later Carrier would find the back of the net again as he handled the puck around Kochetkov to cut the lead to three. 

Although the final two goals may have dampened Kochetkov’s mood, his drastically improved play over his past four starts has given the Canes new life when they needed it most. Stopping 30 of 33 shots Kochetkov continued to find his mojo and made it hard on Vegas to keep the game close.

“[Kochektov’s] been solid and composed,” Bunting said.  “I think that every game he plays, he’s gaining momentum and confidence in the net.”

Carolina will travel to Pittsburgh and take on the Penguins (13-13-3) as they look to secure a crucial two points over a Metropolitan division rival. The game is on Thursday, Dec. 21 with a puck drop at 7 p.m.