Recap: Canes Dealt Frist Loss In Vegas
LAS VEGAS, NV – The Carolina Hurricanes suffered their first defeat of the season on Tuesday night, falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in a contest marked by early setbacks and a resilient effort.Despite a strong push, Carolina was unable to overcome a two-goal deficit established in the first period.
Head coach Rod Brind’Amour acknowledged the challenging start. “I didn’t mind the game. I thought we played pretty hard. Thay had a couple of fortunate bounces on the first two goals.They made good plays after, that’s what they do. The talent level (for Vegas) is obviously off the charts. They capitalized. But, the first one we shot in our own net and the othre one bounced off of us for a breakaway.It’s tough. I thought the rest of the game was pretty even.”
Forward Jordan Staal echoed the sentiment regarding the initial period. “Our first (period) wasn’t great. They got a few bounces, but I thought we made some tough plays with the puck and didn’t really get to our game, including myself. After that, we played a pretty solid game.They’re a good team. Being down two is tough and we couldn’t quite figure out how to get back into it.”
Despite the loss,Staal emphasized the team’s focus on moving forward. “Obviously,it’s been a great start to the road trip. We ran into a really good team, had a slow start, and that was the end of the game. But also, we have two big challenges ahead of us to finish off this road trip. We’re going to have to regroup. We have a couple of days here to get the bodies right and the minds right and not let it creep into the next game.We have a huge challenge with the next one.”
Both teams failed to convert on the power play, leaving special teams as a non-factor in the outcome. the Hurricanes will now look to rebound as they continue their road trip.
