Recap: Canes Dealt First Loss In Vegas

LAS VEGAS - The Carolina Hurricanes suffered their first defeat of the 2025-26 season on Monday, falling 4-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.

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For just the second time this season, the Hurricanes found themselves trailing through 20 minutes after a Jack Eichel centering pass ricocheted in off a Canes stick and a Pavel Dorofeyev highlight-reel effort gave Vegas a 2-0 lead at the first break.

The second period saw Sebastian Aho quickly halve the deficit, slipping a wrist shot through Akira Schmid from the right circle and providing a platform for Carolina to climb back into the game. But the visitors' remaining chances failed to find twine, and a pair of late goals, including an empty-netter, gave Vegas a cushion to seal its win.

Frederik Andersen stopped 21 of 24 shots in his fourth appearance of the season.

Stats & Standouts

• Defenseman Charles Alexis Legault made his NHL debut on Monday, skating 12:30 and recording two blocked shots. He's the second Hurricane to debut this season, joining goaltender Brandon Bussi.
• Forwards Sebastian Aho (1G) and Seth Jarvis (1A) extended their season-opening point streaks to six games, marking just the third time in franchise history that teammates have simultaneous runs of that length. The other instances: 2021-22 (7 GP by Aho & Andrei Svechnikov) and 1984-85 (11 GP by Ron Francis & 7 GP by Risto Siltanen).
• Forward Nikolaj Ehlers recorded his first point as a Hurricane with an assist on Aho's second-period goal.

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour on the contest...

"I didn't mind the game. I thought we played pretty hard. They 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 other one bounced off of us for a breakaway. It's tough. I thought the rest of the game was pretty even. Both teams were going at it pretty well. Both teams were 0-for on the power play, so that wasn't really a factor. We just weren't able to find an answer. I thought we played okay though."

Jordan Staal giving his assessment...

"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."

Jordan Staal on the group turning the page from their first loss of the season...

"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."

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes are scheduled to travel to Colorado on Tuesday and will practice on Wednesday ahead of Thursday night's clash with the Avalanche.
• Next Game: Thursday, Oct. 23 | 9:00 p.m. ET
• Next Home Game: Tuesday, Oct. 28 vs. Vegas | 6:30 p.m. ET | Hispanic Heritage Night | Tickets | Parking