Early look The full preview opens on Friday 18 December, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Carolina Hurricanes at Vegas Golden Knights: game preview

Puck drop21 Dec · 10:00 PM ET
VenueT-Mobile Arena
All-time meetings22 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Eighteen points apart last season

Carolina finished last season 2nd in the league on 113 points. Vegas finished 13th on 95.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 23

Across 22 completed games, Carolina lead the head-to-head 13-8-1.

All-time record13-8-1Carolina's record in the series
Meetings played22This is number 23
2025-26 series—
Last 54-1Carolina
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
14 Jun 2026CAR 3 – VGK 0——CAR
11 Jun 2026VGK 2 – CAR 4——CAR
9 Jun 2026CAR 5 – VGK 3——CAR
6 Jun 2026CAR 4 – VGK 5 OT——VGK
4 Jun 2026VGK 3 – CAR 4 OT——CAR
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateCarolinaVegas
4 Jun 202653-22-7 · 113 pts2nd39-26-17 · 95 pts13th
6 Jun 202653-22-7 · 113 pts2nd39-26-17 · 95 pts13th
9 Jun 202653-22-7 · 113 pts2nd39-26-17 · 95 pts13th
11 Jun 202653-22-7 · 113 pts2nd39-26-17 · 95 pts13th
14 Jun 202653-22-7 · 113 pts2nd39-26-17 · 95 pts13th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 4 Jun 2026, Carolina were 2nd in the league and Vegas 13th. By 14 Jun 2026 it was 2nd and 13th.


Expected goals

Vegas have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

CarolinaVegas
3.74xG for per game3.79
2.21xG against per game2.09
62.9%xG share64.4%
−4.0FinishingGoals minus expected goals+1.8
−3.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−1.6

This season: 4 games for Carolina, 4 for Vegas. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Carolina

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2719.0%
Power play · 2025-2624.9% · 4th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2789.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2680.5% · 11th
Faceoffs · 2026-2752.1% · 125/240
Drawn · 2026-2721 (5.25/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Vegas

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2731.3%
Power play · 2025-2624.6% · 6th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2783.3%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.4% · 7th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.0% · 122/230
Drawn · 2026-2716 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (3.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
20Sebastian Aho44371.75
53Jackson Blake40330.75
9Jack Eichel428102.50
95Victor Olofsson44151.25
48Tomas Hertl43251.25
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
74Jaccob Slavin40220.50
27Shea Theodore41230.75
15Noah Hanifin41010.25
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 18 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 18 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Carolina crease

CAR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 18 Dec

Brandon Bussi.8513 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.7
Pyotr Kochetkov.8891 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +0.5

No appearances against Vegas in the last meetings.

Vegas crease

VGK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 18 Dec

Carter Hart.8903 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx −1.1
Adin Hill.9001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx −0.5

No appearances against Carolina in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

14 Jun 20263 · CAR 3–0 VGK
11 Jun 20266 · VGK 2–4 CAR
9 Jun 20268 · CAR 5–3 VGK
6 Jun 20269 · CAR 4–5 VGK
4 Jun 20267 · VGK 3–4 CAR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Carolina2.753.003.612.93
Vegas4.252.503.233.05

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.4Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.6Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

5 on the injury lists

Carolina · injuries

Alexander NikishinContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct
Seth JarvisShoulderIRReturn24 Oct

Vegas · injuries

Lukas CormierUndisclosedIRReturn22 Oct
Raphael LavoieUndisclosedOutReturn8 Oct
Victor OlofssonUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
30 Sep · CAR

Placed G Cayden Primeau on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed LD Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed D Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

30 Sep · VGK

Signed C William Karlsson to a two-year contract.

29 Sep · VGK

Placed C Jakub Cormier, RW Matyas Hemmerling and C Jakub Uchacz on the injured non-roster list.

23 Sep · VGK

Placed D Jaycob Megna, D Adam Ginning, D Joe Fleming, C Jakub Demek and D Jeremy Davies on waivers.

Injury report
#51William HakanssonRound 2 · LuleaD
#61Wiggo SorenssonRound 2 · Boro/vetlandaC
#68Zachary LansardRound 3 · ReginaRW
#105Michael BerchildRound 4 · Usa U-18LW
Full draft
#29Juho PiiparinenRound 1 · TapparaD
#63ForfeitedRound 2 ·
#92Benjamin WilmottRound 3 · BarrieC
#95Sean BurickRound 3 · PentictonD
Full draft

Updated after every final