Vegas Golden Knights Rally Past Carolina Hurricanes in Stanley Cup Final Opener
The first game of the NHL final series ended with the Vegas Golden Knights defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4. The series lead is 1-0 in favor of Vegas.
Vegas snatches victory in Raleigh: historic comeback and seventh straight win
The first game of the Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights delivered pure drama for fans. The Knights trailed 2-0 midway through the first period but managed to turn the tide and snatch a 5-4 victory thanks to a goal by Tomas Hertl with 3 minutes and 24 seconds left on the clock. The best-of-seven series now stands 1-0 in favor of Vegas, which also snapped Carolina's 17-game home winning streak.
Key Moments
The Lenovo Center in Raleigh welcomed the teams with a sellout crowd of 18,700, who witnessed Carolina's first Final game in 20 years. The wait was long, and the home team started exactly as any coach dreams: with a quick goal. Just 25 seconds into the game, Danish forward Nikolaj Ehlers received a pass from Jacob Slavin at the blue line, burst into Vegas' zone, and fired a powerful shot from the left faceoff circle past Carter Hart. It was the fastest goal in a Stanley Cup Final since 2021 and a perfect start for the Hurricanes, who dreamed of a home win.
The crowd support and early lead energized the hosts. Carolina kept pressing, and at the 12-minute mark, Ehlers scored his second, breaking away cleanly after a pass from Jaylen Chatfield. Hart, despite the early goals against, made several saves to keep Vegas in the game between the goals, but by the middle of the first period, the score was 2-0 in favor of Carolina. The crowd roared, and it seemed Vegas might crumble.
But the defending Stanley Cup champions (Vegas won the trophy in 2023) had no intention of giving up. At the 14-minute mark, defenseman Shea Theodore cut the deficit with a powerful slap shot from the blue line that deflected off the stick of Carolina forward Eric Robinson and into the net past Frederik Andersen.
The second period proved to be the turning point. Just 30 seconds into the period, Russian forward Ivan Barbashev tied the game. Jack Eichel picked up the puck behind the net and delivered a perfect pass to Barbashev in the left faceoff circle, and Ivan calmly shot under the crossbar to make it 2-2. This goal was Barbashev's sixth of the playoffs and his 13th point of the postseason.
Vegas was on a roll. At the 5-minute mark, Mitch Marner, for whom Carolina had given up significant assets in the offseason, picked up the puck behind the net and passed to William Karlsson. The Swedish center one-timed the puck into the net, giving the Knights their first lead of the game at 3-2. A deafening silence fell over the Lenovo Center.
However, Carolina is a team with character. Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal intercepted the puck in the neutral zone at the 13-minute mark of the second period, deked defenseman Noah Hanifin, and beat Hart with a wrist shot to tie the game at 3-3. The third period began with another blow to the home team: at the 2-minute mark, Brett Howden, the playoffs' leading goal scorer (11 goals), finished a pass from Theodore to make it 4-3 in favor of Vegas.
Carolina found the strength to rally again. At the 12-minute mark, Shayne Gostisbehere, who received the puck after a Vegas turnover in the offensive zone, charged down the left wing and fired a powerful slap shot from the left faceoff circle into the far corner to make it 4-4. The crowd erupted once more, but the celebration was short-lived.
The climax came at the 57-minute mark. Colton Sissons, showing phenomenal patience, waited for Tomas Hertl to get open in the slot and passed the puck to him with his heel. The Czech center one-timed the puck past Andersen from an awkward angle to make it 5-4. This goal proved to be the game-winner, and Vegas held on for the final three and a half minutes, not allowing Carolina to create any dangerous chances.
Details and Statistics
The first thing that stands out is Vegas' incredible efficiency on special teams. Carolina converted only 1 of 5 power-play opportunities, while the Knights capitalized on 2 of 3. The key was the power-play goal in the second period, when Barbashev tied the game after a Carolina penalty.
Shea Theodore not only scored Vegas' first goal but also added two assists, totaling three points. The Canadian defenseman now has 14 points (5 goals, 9 assists) in the playoffs, the best among Knights defensemen. But the true star on defense was Brayden McNabb, who recorded three assists and finished with a plus-3 rating, the best in the game.
Ivan Barbashev, who scored his sixth goal of the playoffs, continues his impressive streak. The Russian has recorded points in 8 of his last 10 games and is the third-highest scorer among Russian players in this Stanley Cup Playoffs. He now has 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) in the postseason.
Brett Howden leads the playoff goal-scoring race with 11 goals, ahead of Toronto's Zach Hyman (9 goals). Interestingly, Howden, who scored only 15 goals in the regular season, has been phenomenal in the postseason, converting 26% of his shots into goals.
The goaltending position has become a risk area for Carolina. Frederik Andersen stopped only 18 of 23 shots (78.3% save percentage), which is clearly not enough for a Stanley Cup Final. The Danish goalie was particularly weak in the third period, allowing two goals on seven shots. Carter Hart, on the other hand, came up big for Vegas in several key moments, especially when the score was 4-4, when he stopped a point-blank shot from Seth Jarvis seconds before Hertl's game-winner.
Nikolaj Ehlers scored two goals (his fifth and sixth of the playoffs), becoming Carolina's leading goal scorer in this postseason, but after the first period, the Dane did not register another shot on goal—Vegas' defense shut him down tightly. This became a problem for the Hurricanes: their attack line is too reliant on one player.
Context and Significance
The Vegas Golden Knights have won seven straight playoff games, a new franchise record. The previous record was six consecutive wins in 2020 during the bubble season. The Knights have not lost since May 18, when they fell to Anaheim in Game 5 of the second round.
Particularly impressive is how Vegas performs on the road. In the Western Conference Final, they won both opening games in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche (Presidents' Trophy winners) and eventually swept them in four games. A similar situation occurred in the 2024 first round against Dallas, where the Knights also won the first two games on the road.
For Carolina, this loss ended a 17-game home winning streak. The Hurricanes had not lost at the Lenovo Center since March 12, a streak that included six regular-season wins and 11 playoff wins. Losing home-ice advantage in the very first game is a serious psychological blow for Rod Brind'Amour's team.
John Tortorella, who took over Vegas with eight games left in the regular season, continues to work wonders. Under his guidance, the team has won 20 of 25 games (including regular season and playoffs). The veteran coach, who led Tampa Bay to the Stanley Cup in 2004, is now one step away from repeating that success with a completely different team. His "dump and chase" style has perfectly suited Vegas' athletic roster.
This Final is a clash of two different philosophies. Carolina relies on puck possession and control through defenseman rotation (averaging 58% possession in the playoffs), while Vegas relies on physical play and fast counterattacks. The first game showed that Tortorella's strategy is working better so far: the Knights had fewer shots (23 to 27) but converted their chances far more efficiently.
What's Next / Preview of Game 2
Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final will take place on the night of June 4-5 (Moscow time) again at the Carolina Hurricanes' home in Raleigh, North Carolina. For the Hurricanes, this game is critical: losing 0-2 at home before heading to Las Vegas for three games is almost a guaranteed path to losing the series.
Carolina has at least three problems to solve. First, power-play efficiency: 1 for 5 is too low for the Final, especially considering that Vegas takes a fair number of penalties (averaging 4.5 per game in the playoffs). Rod Brind'Amour needs to adjust the setup—perhaps moving Ehlers to the first unit and using Gostisbehere more at the point.
The second problem is offensive depth. After losing several key players last summer, Carolina has become too dependent on the Ehlers-Aho-Svechnikov line. In Game 1, only Ehlers scored among that trio, while Sebastian Aho (who had five giveaways) and Russian forward Andrei Svechnikov (two shots in 18 minutes) were invisible. The lines need to be shuffled to wake up the second and third scorers.
The third and most important issue is goaltending. Frederik Andersen is allowing more than three goals per game on average in the playoffs (GAA 3.12), and his saves in Game 1 were not at a Final level. Carolina has Pyotr Kochetkov on the roster, who finished the regular season with a 91.5% save percentage, and it is quite possible that the Russian will start Game 2. The coaching staff hinted after the loss that they would "consider all options in goal."
Vegas, on the other hand, will play defensively, knowing they have already done their job on the road. The key task for the Knights will be neutralizing Ehlers and minimizing penalties. Also worth monitoring is the health of captain Mark Stone, who played only 14 minutes (less than usual) and rarely shot the puck. If Stone is injured, it could seriously change the dynamics.
Editorial Prediction
Game 2 will be a litmus test for Carolina. All statistics suggest that Rod Brind'Amour's team is a master of comebacks: in the regular season, they won 12 games after allowing the first goal (third-best in the league). However, Vegas' seven-game winning streak and their ability to play off their opponents make them favorites even on the road.
According to our estimates, bookmakers still give a slight edge to Carolina due to home ice—odds around -160 for the Hurricanes versus +135 for the Knights. But betting on Vegas with a +1.5 puck line looks very safe: Tortorella's team has lost by more than one goal only once in their last 12 playoff games.
The key factor will be goaltending. If Brind'Amour starts Kochetkov instead of Andersen, it could shake up the team and change the momentum. The Russian was excellent at the end of the regular season and in the first two rounds of the playoffs before losing his spot to the Dane. We believe a goalie change is only a matter of time, and it will likely happen in Game 2.
Our prediction: Vegas wins Game 2 by one goal, taking a 2-0 series lead before heading to Las Vegas. The Knights are too experienced and too well-coached by Tortorella to squander their advantage. Carolina will fight, but their psychological vulnerability after letting Game 1 slip away will show in the closing stages of Game 2. Bet: Vegas to win in regulation at odds around 3.20.
— Editorial Team
