The Golden Knights’ tense, chippy 4-3 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday — one that resulted in 10 third-period game misconducts — was partly the result of two heavy, physical teams preparing for playoff hockey.
The temperature will likely be turned down for Thursday’s 4 p.m. matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes. But not by much.
The Hurricanes, who own the second-best record in the NHL, will be another difficult opponent for the Knights in the third stop of their five-game road trip. Carolina has the league’s second-best defense. The Knights will have to battle all night for their fifth win in six games.
“That’s what we expect again tonight,” defenseman Zach Whitecloud said. “A tight game both ways. Every zone, there’s not going to be a lot of ice for any guys out there.”
The Knights beat the Hurricanes their first meeting of the season, 3-2 at T-Mobile Arena on March 1.
Carolina has won four straight since. The Hurricanes are 9-2 in their last 11 games, outscoring opponents 42-15 in the process.
Goaltender Jonathan Quick will make his second straight start for the Knights. He’s 2-0 with a .908 save percentage since arriving in a pre-deadline deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Quick made 34 stops in the win against the Lightning.
Coach Bruce Cassidy said that “probably” means backup Jiri Patera will make his NHL debut Sunday against St. Louis.
Lineup information for the Knights was not immediately available.
Knights at Hurricanes (4 p.m.)
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: KKGK (98.9 FM, 1340 AM)
Line: Hurricanes -200, total 6
Knights record: 39-20-6
Hurricanes record: 43-12-8
Head-to-head: Knights 1-0-0
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.