Jack Eichel's dinner moment becomes big problem after Elliotte Friedman's report

Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel bumped into Ottawa Senators coach Travis Green and Philadelphia Flyers coach Rick Tocchet at a Las Vegas restaurant and asked them both for a scouting report on the Carolina Hurricanes.

Some may look at that and believe it's cheating, while others say no as it happened off the ice.

Green and Tocchet were the perfect targets. Carolina swept Ottawa in Round 1 and swept Philadelphia in Round 2, meaning both coaches absorbed eight combined games of punishment from Rod Brind'Amour's system.

Eichel saw two men with fresh scars and squeezed them for information. That part is smart.

The part nobody is talking about is that the intel might already be useless.

Green and Tocchet watched a Carolina team that suffocated inferior opponents and never faced real adversity.

The Hurricanes cruised through those first two rounds without ever trailing in a series.

That version of Carolina vanished in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. Down 2-0 entering the third period, the Hurricanes ripped off three goals in just over five minutes, gave up a devastating Mark Stone equalizer with 81 seconds left, and still found a way to win on a Seth Jarvis power-play one-timer in overtime.

Carolina is now 6-0 in overtime this postseason. That resilience never showed up against Ottawa or Philadelphia because it never had to.

The Golden Knights have their own film room and their own coaching staff led by John Tortorella.

Eichel asking eliminated coaches how to beat Carolina makes a great story, but those coaches couldn't beat Carolina themselves.

The more interesting question is whether Mitch Marner and Eichel can solve a Hurricanes team that adjusts between periods, not just between series. Game 2 proved Carolina has another gear entirely.

The series heads to T-Mobile Arena tied 1-1 on Saturday. Whatever Green and Tocchet shared over dinner, the Hurricanes just changed the exam.