The Vegas Golden Knights delivered their most incomplete effort of the Stanley Cup Final in a 4-2 loss in Game 5 Thursday night at Lenovo Center.
The Golden Knights opened the scoring in the first period but managed to hold the lead for less than five minutes. From there, it was all Carolina, as the Hurricanes scored four unanswered goals, two of which came on the power play. The Golden Knights cut the deficit to two late in the third but were unable to rally.
The Hurricanes now lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 and are one win away from clinching the second Stanley Cup in franchise history.
First period
In by far the Golden Knights’ best first period of the series, Vegas scored on its first shot of the game to take a 1-0 lead on the road.
It was a transition goal on the power play that came on a gorgeous entry by Jack Eichel, who completed a sleek give-and-go with Tomas Hertl at the blue line. Eichel drove to the net before sending a perfect pass to Pavel Dorofeyev for the backdoor one-timer. Dorofeyev beat Brandon Bussi top-shelf for his first point of the series and 11th goal of the playoffs at 6:52.
But the thorn in Vegas’ side evened things up five minutes later.
Jordan Staal became the fifth player in NHL history to score a goal in five straight games in the Stanley Cup Final with his sixth of the series, scored on a deflection as he beat Brayden McNabb to the net-front. The Golden Knights were unable to clear the zone, and Nikolaj Ehlers found the Hurricanes captain alone in front. It was casual coverage against the most dangerous player on the Hurricanes, and it ended up in the back of the net to halt Vegas’ momentum and reset the score at 11:46.
The Golden Knights outshot the Hurricanes 7-5 and held a healthy 11-3 advantage in scoring chances with a 5-1 edge in high-danger chances with a 74.75 percent expected goal share, per Natural Stat Trick.
John Tortorella mixed up the lines, putting Eichel, Mark Stone and Mitch Marner on the same line for many shifts, particularly on offensive-zone draws. The trio wasn’t able to break through, but it was a clear strategy to up the ante offensively for the road team. The line led 6-2 in Corsi and 4-1 in shots, while a newly-formed third line featuring Hertl, Dorofeyev and Colton Sissons led 5-1 in shot attempts and 2-0 in shots in 2:19 of ice time.
Eichel had a fantastic 20 minutes, noticeably driving play and creating on every shift.
With 5.8 seconds remaining in the first, K’Andre Miller shot the puck out of the zone, setting up almost a full two minutes of carry-over power-play time for the Golden Knights to start the second period. It was the second delay-of-game penalty on Carolina in the opening 20 minutes.
Second period
The Golden Knights outscored the Hurricanes 9-1 in the second period in the first four games of the series, but it was the Hurricanes who dominated the second period of Game 5.
Vegas moved the puck well on the power play to start the period but settled for poor, low-probability shot selections from bad angles.
Instead, it was the Carolina power play that did the damage, though it couldn’t have happened without some help from an undisciplined Vegas blue line.
In fact, the Golden Knights took two completely unnecessary penalties, one after the next. First, Jeremy Lauzon dumped Logan Stankoven at the whistle.
As soon as Vegas killed off the roughing penalty, McNabb cross-checked Jackson Blake into the boards.
The Vegas penalty kill wasn’t able to take care of both, and Andrei Svechnikov surprised a partially-screened Carter Hart with a five-hole shot to give the Canes the 2-1 lead at 11:58.
Brett Howden had a partial breakaway, but Bussi’s aggressive play thwarted the opportunity.
Even though the Golden Knights appeared to be getting back to their game, a brilliant passing play by the Hurricanes led to Sebastian Aho’s first goal of the series. After a dump-in, Sean Walker found Aho on the back door, and Aho roofed the puck over Hart to put the home team up by two with 2:09 remaining.
The Golden Knights looked overwhelmed and were without William Karlsson for much of the period after Karlsson went to the locker room with an apparent injury to his left arm. He did not return.
The Golden Knights recorded just three shots on goal after the power play and entered a crucial third period down by two goals after getting outshot 10-5.
Through 40 minutes, Hart had -1.25 goals saved above expected, surrendering three goals on just 15 shots.
As has been the case throughout the series, the Golden Knights continued to get killed on faceoffs, as Carolina won 64.7 percent of the draws in the first two periods.
Third period
The Hurricanes got three power plays in the third period. The first was a hook by Eichel, which somehow caused Ehlers to fall to the ice, leading to a tripping call. Vegas killed it off.
However, Stone caught Jalen Chatfield up high, making contact with his visor and taking the helmet off his head. No call was made until Chatfield was down on the ice; ultimately, the referees assessed a double-minor.
Though the Golden Knights killed the first, the Carolina power play converted on the second on an excellent spinning pass play by Ehlers, who found Svechnikov for the backdoor tap-in.
Despite the three-goal deficit, the Golden Knights continued to push, and Shea Theodore’s backhand shot led to a rebound, which Dorofeyev cleaned up in front. It was his second of the night and 12th of the postseason, making it a 4-2 game with 6:11 remaining.
The goal gave Vegas some life, and the Golden Knights continued to test Bussi.
Carolina took its third delay-of-game penalty of the night with 2:13 remaining, setting up a 6-on-4 for Vegas. The Golden Knights had a few good looks, but Bussi shut the door and helped Carolina close out the win.
The two clubs flipped the script in Game 5, with Vegas carrying play in the first period and Carolina taking over in the second.
The Golden Knights didn’t generate a ton of dangerous looks after that first period, and they looked overwhelmed for much of the second and third. They didn’t have much jump, and the offense seemed to vanish after a strong opening frame.
But the two sets of back-to-back penalties were the turning points in the game, and losing the special teams battle is why the Golden Knights lost the game.
“We did have a good start,” Eichel said. “Obviously, we get the first goal. I thought we were playing well in the first. Put some pressure on them. But they get the equalizer, and then it seemed like maybe it became a bit of a special teams battle. They had a few power plays there, and they were able to capitalize. We had some chances and didn’t capitalize. That’s the difference.”
Vegas scored on the power play in the first period, but it was a transition goal scored off the rush. The other two power-play opportunities didn’t yield much, and certainly not goals.
On the other hand, Carolina went 2-for-5 and looked very dangerous on the power play, which had been abysmal prior to this series. Even when Vegas killed off a penalty, the fact that the Hurricanes had another two minutes immediately afterwards on two occasions proved to be too much for Vegas to handle.
“Special teams is a big part of the game, and this time of year, you’ve gotta be on the right side of it,” Eichel said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t.”
The first set led to Svechnikov’s first goal, which made it 2-1 nearly 12 minutes into the second period. The second set came on Stone’s double-minor and led to Svechnikov’s second, which made it a 4-1 game at 11:08 of the third.
The momentum swings were too great for the Golden Knights to overcome.
Vegas’ penalty kill was a massive strength throughout the playoffs but has not been reliable in this series.
“There are some situations I think we can push them and be more aggressive,” Tortorella said about Vegas’ penalty kill. “At times, I thought we did a good job, but we have to complete it. It’s tough with the back-to-backs. We’ll look at it.”
Additionally, the goaltending was one-sided.
Bussi looked poised. He had no chance on either of Vegas’ goals but made timely saves throughout the contest, including on Howden in the third. He finished the game with 23 saves on 25 shots for a .920 save percentage.
Hart, meanwhile, became the first goalie in NHL history to surrender four goals in each of the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final, and he is now the first to do so in the first five. He was slow to react on several goals, and he looked somewhat demoralized at times, including when moving across the zone on Aho’s tally.
Beyond that, he had a particularly frightening moment early in the third when he went out to contest a puck but seemed to freeze on his way. Lauzon bailed him out, but it was a shaky moment at the start of a must-win period.
Hart had no chance on the Svechnikov goal in the third, but he did not look confident. However, he most definitely will be the starter for Game 6.
When asked if he considered putting Adin Hill — who hasn’t played since April 9 — in net for the third period, Tortorella shot the idea down emphatically.
“That could be the stupidest question I’ve heard,” he said.
But Hart wasn’t alone, as the Golden Knights’ offense failed to execute. The only exception was Dorofeyev, who accounted for all of Vegas’ offense.
The fact that Tortorella put the big three (Stone, Eichel, Marner) on the same line was fine on some shifts, particularly following an icing, but the Golden Knights don’t have the depth to accommodate that stack. That’s especially true without Karlsson, who left the game in the second period after playing just 8:43.
The Vegas pivot reportedly left the arena after taking this hit.
Karlsson’s status is a massive concern, and the gravity of his loss cannot be overstated.
Though Tortorella said he had no update on Karlsson, he did indicate it’s unlikely he will play in Game 6.
“He’s an important piece to us up the middle of the ice, penalty killer, power-play guy,” Tortorella said. “He’s a winner. But having said that, … he’s not gonna be with us probably. We gotta find a way to fill that void, not just with one guy but as a team.”
Eichel also spoke about Karlsson’s significance to the team.
“He’s a world-class player who plays in all situations,” he said. “He’s extremely reliable in our own zone, he creates a lot of offense. He’s a huge part of our group.”
Like Tortorella, Eichel stressed that “everybody else has to step up” to fill those shoes.
If Karlsson remains out of the lineup, Tortorella will have to make a choice about his replacement. The two primary options are Brandon Saad and Reilly Smith. Tortorella has chosen Saad before, and he’s likely to do so again.
That was a questionable decision earlier in the playoffs, and it will be scrutinized if it happens again.
Tortorella has favored players with whom he’s familiar, and he coached Saad when the two were in Columbus. Smith hasn’t played since the second round, but he’s an original leader of this franchise, scored the Cup-clinching goal in 2023 and scored a remarkable last-second goal last year against Edmonton. His defensive prowess and clutch play could be major assets in this series, particularly given the stakes of an elimination game.
That being said, all bets point to Saad.
As Tortorella and Eichel mentioned, though, no one player can fill the shoes of “Wild Bill.”
It makes the task ahead all the more daunting for the Golden Knights, who now head home for an elimination game.
The Golden Knights are a veteran team that will have to respond.
If the last few months are any indication, the Golden Knights will not go down without a fight. They have had their fair share of surprises, and they will do everything in their power to force a Game 7, where anything can happen.
Hart needs to bounce back, and he needs more help defending the net-front. The Golden Knights have to find an answer for Staal, and Vegas has to start winning more faceoffs. The special teams battle needs to be at least a draw, and the Golden Knights need to play with more discipline.
Rod Brind’Amour has been the better coach, and he has consistently made the necessary adjustments throughout the series. It’s time for Tortorella to do the same.
“We’re a resilient group,” Eichel said. “Our sole focus now is preparing for Game 6 and going home in a must-win situation.”
The Golden Knights are out of lifelines. Game 6 is do-or-die.
It’s time to dig deep.
“We gotta find a way,” Tortorella said. “I’m gonna leave my clothes here, that’s for sure. They’ll be in the hotel.”
Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and Money Puck.
Photo courtesy of the Golden Knights