Knights prime isolated Hurricanes’ antecedently lockdown defence and goaltending
Vegas Golden Knights' Keegan Kolesar, middle, celebrates betwixt Carolina Hurricanes' Frederik Andersen (31) and Eric Robinson (50) aft a extremity scored by Golden Knights' Shea Theodore successful the archetypal play of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final bid successful Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Photo by: ASSOCIATED PRESS
By Case Keefer (contact)
Tuesday, June 2, 2026 | 8:48 p.m.
One of the culprits for Tomas Hertl’s adjacent 10-week goalless drought that didn’t extremity until earlier successful the Stanley Cup playoffs was his inability to shed defenders and make separation.
So, it was striking precocious successful Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday nighttime erstwhile Hertl chopped past standout opposing defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere to get escaped successful beforehand of the net.
Linemate Colton Sissons noticed however Hertl divided Gostisbehere and Taylor Hall — different 1 of the Hurricanes' champion players passim this postseason — and backhanded him the puck. Hertl wristed it past Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen to interruption a necktie and people the game-winning extremity with little than 4 minutes near to play successful a 5-4 Vegas triumph astatine the Lenovo Center successful Raleigh, N.C.
The Golden Knights cracked what had looked similar a cloak of adjacent invincibility for the Hurricanes done the Eastern Conference playoffs successful the opener of the teams’ best-of-seven series.
Vegas whitethorn not person dismantled Carolina margin-wise, but the benignant successful which the visitors prevailed indispensable person raised immoderate eyebrows.
Hertl’s extremity wasn’t the lone 1 that came arsenic a effect of the Golden Knights uncovering unfastened crystal successful high-danger spots. Ivan Barbashev besides bushed Andersen blocker-side with a wrister from the faceoff ellipse 30 seconds into the 2nd period.
Barbashev’s sixth postseason extremity tied the people astatine 2-2 aft Carolina winger Nikolaj Ehlers recovered the nett some 25 seconds and 12 minutes into the game. A 2-0 Carolina pb whitethorn person bordered connected feeling insurmountable to pessimistic Vegas fans fixed however the remainder of the playoffs had gone.
The Hurricanes person suffocated opponents with defence portion nursing leads passim the archetypal 3 rounds, but couldn’t screen up the Golden Knights successful the aforesaid fashion.
Four minutes aft Barbashev’s goal, William Karlsson — similar Hertl, different Knight whose looked a stepped slower successful the playoffs aft returning from a agelong wounded — cashed successful connected a wide-open accidental from the slot disconnected a backhanded walk from Mitch Marner.
That gave the Golden Knights their archetypal pb astatine 3-2, but it was short-lived arsenic Hurricanes skipper Jordan Staal snuck a puck past goalie Carter Hart aboriginal successful the play from astir the aforesaid spot arsenic Barbashev’s goal.
Hart and Andersen had received overmuch of the recognition for their teams’ ascendant runs done the playoffs but some looked rattled successful Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Hart finished with an .852 prevention percent — stopping 23 of 27 shots — but that was capable adjacent to Andersen’s .783 from allowing 5 goals connected 23 shots.
At 1 constituent from the extremity of the archetypal play into the second, Vegas scored connected 3 of 5 shots connected net.
The Golden Knights’ got connected the scoreboard initially by defenseman Shea Theodore firing a debased laser done postulation astatine 13:28 of the archetypal period. Theodore struck again to commencement the 3rd period, mounting Brett Howden up with his playoff-leading 11th extremity with a walk that snuck done the bosom of the Hurricanes’ defense.
Carolina equalized 10 minutes aboriginal erstwhile Gostisbehere scored retired of a faceoff pursuing a arguable icing telephone connected Vegas.
Vegas manager John Tortorella was irate connected the bench, but his squad kept its composure. Hertl’s extremity came a small much than 5 minutes later.
Game 1 shattered truthful galore assumptions made coming into the series, particularly from the Carolina perspective.
The Hurricanes did outshoot the Golden Knights to acceptable with their long-running doctrine to overwhelm opponents with pucks thrown connected net, but it was adjacent — and the second had a wide borderline successful high-quality looks.
Goals rained connected the wide antiaircraft forecast, arsenic Vegas wiggled escaped of Carolina acold much than anyone could person expected.
On the upside for the Hurricanes, they suffered a akin destiny successful a 6-2 Game 1 nonaccomplishment to the Montreal Canadiens past circular — their lone decision of the playoffs earlier Tuesday. Carolina rapidly got backmost into its regular for the remainder of the series.
Vegas improved to 3-0 successful Stanley Cup Final Game 1s. The 5-2 triumph implicit the Florida Panthers to commencement the 2023 Final bode beauteous well, arsenic the Golden Knights went connected to instrumentality the bid successful five.
But they failed to triumph different crippled aft a 6-4 outlasting of the Washington Capitals successful 2018.
Vegas was favored successful some of those contests though and the victories acceptable good wrong the accepted realm of possibilities coming in.
The mode the Golden Knights bushed the Hurricanes successful the latest Game 1 felt much retired of nowhere. If the Hurricanes set similar they did against the Canadiens, this should inactive beryllium a agelong series.
But if Vegas tin repetition what worked starting with Game 2 connected Thursday, the biggest astonishment yet whitethorn beryllium up — a speedy dispatching of what had been a stifling Carolina side.
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