Vegas Golden Knights Pick Up Crucial 2 Points After Taking Down The Hurricanes

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Alex Tuch (89) dives while chasing the puck with Carolina Hurricanes center Ryan Dzingel (18) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

We hit the road this weekend for two Vegas Golden Knights' games, the first being last night in Raleigh, North Carolina.  We were not disappointed in stop number one, not only because of the nice (and needed) pick up of 2 points, but because the experience on the whole was a great one.

PNC Arena is very interesting in that it is located out in the wide open spaces of NC State's campus.  When you get used to visiting arenas that are slapped into the middle of tourist cities, this can be a nice change.  The cold, rainy weather wasn't what we hope for, but the convenience of transit to and from arena was fantastic and welcome.

The game started hot, as VGK got an early 2-0 lead as Stastny and Marchessault picked some quick goals in the first.

The third period, however, was where all the real excitement came, as Schmidt hit a stunner to bring us up to a 3-1 lead with about 8 minutes left.  Then suddenly we once again found ourselves in a tie at 3-3 after facing a Nicolas Roy penalty.

Fortunately the Hurricanes soon after gathered their own penalty and Alex Tuch was able to produce the needed extra goal on the subsequent power play.   We held onto that 4-3 lead through the last 1:30ish empty net moments and got those much desired 2 points to start off this four-game block on the road.

Fans in North Carolina were fantastic, a lot of VGK fans traveled to support the team and there was just a really great vibe in PNC Arena throughout the whole game.

Bonus:  we also saw Erik Haula for a brief moment after Friday's morning skate, and he told us he definitely missed being in Vegas and is looking forward to the visit this upcoming Friday, when the Hurricanes visit for our first home game in four weeks!

We know everyone is excited to return to The Fortress, but we have 3 very important games coming up first to close out this road trip, so on we go to Nashville momentarily, where we will root the guys on to the next 2 points.

Be sure to follow our Instagram (@vegassportsshop) for video coverage of warm ups and other game highlights and fun moments from the road!