The Anatomy of a Moment: Cam Ward Hits the Jackpot in Vegas, Wins His 300th Game

In their first visit to Las Vegas, the Hurricanes pulled out a victory to help their franchise goalie reach another milestone by winning his 300th game.

Carolina Hurricanes v Vegas Golden Knights
Carolina Hurricanes v Vegas Golden Knights | Ethan Miller/GettyImages
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Brock McGinn, Shea Theodore
Carolina Hurricanes v Vegas Golden Knights | Ethan Miller/GettyImages

A Lucky Bounce to Start

While the story of the night was the franchise mainstay, the offense came from a few unsuspecting new guys, both of whom were technically former Golden Knights. Marcus Kruger spent the early part of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks, winning the Stanley Cup in 2013 and 2015 after being drafted in 2009. Kruger was a Golden Knight for two days in early July before Vegas traded him to Carolina for a fifth-round pick.

Kruger had never been a dynamic offensive player, topping at nine goals in 2011-12 and 28 points in 2013-14. His start with the Hurricanes hadn't been very productive either. Through 28 games, Kruger had yet to find the back of the net, contributing four assists before the game in Vegas. That night, he would finally catch a break.

We often see defensemen hold the puck behind the net as the rest of their team sets up before passing it up the ice. This time, Brayden McNabb made a terrible miscalculation. Kruger stuck his stick out at the perfect time to deflect McNabb's pass past an unsuspecting Marc-Andre Fleury to break the ice late in the first period with his first goal as a Hurricane. Fleury didn't stand a chance in trying to interrupt this unbelievable bounce.

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