The Vegas Golden Knights were victorious in a wild back-and-forth contest when they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in Game 1 Tuesday night at Lenovo Center.
Vegas now leads the best-of-seven series 1-0.
The Golden Knights gave up a goal 25 seconds into the first period and trailed 2-0 midway through the opening frame but managed to chip away at that lead and take one of their own in the second period. This game featured multiple lead changes throughout, but Tomas Hertl recorded the game-winner with 3:24 remaining in regulation.
Jeremy Lauzon returned to the Vegas lineup but played just 13:32. He and Dylan Coghlan struggled, finishing with a minus-two rating. Lauzon recorded two blocks and two hits in his first game since the first round (May 1).
First period
The first period was a sloppy frame for the visiting Golden Knights, who committed multiple turnovers and gave up multiple breakaways and odd-man rushes, two of which ended up in the back of the net.
Both goals came off the stick of Nikolaj Ehlers, who chipped a puck off the wall and got around Shea Theodore at the blue line. Ehlers raced up the ice and beat Carter Hart cleanly, going post-and-in on an unscreened shot on a 2-on-1.
The goal came just 25 seconds into the series and was the first shot of the game. It was the fastest goal to start a Cup series since 1976 (Reggie Leach, 21 seconds).
Ehlers struck again at 12:08 off another turnover when Jack Eichel forced an ill-advised cross-ice pass, which was intercepted just inside the blue line and sent up the ice instantly. Ehlers scored his second of the period on the ensuing breakaway, deking and sliding the puck under Hart’s pad to lift the roof off the Lenovo Center.
Though Carolina dominated the opening frame, the Golden Knights managed to cut the deficit in half when Theodore scored through traffic 3:20 later. Keegan Kolesar set the screen in front, and the puck hit a Carolina defender on its way past Andersen. It was Theodore’s fifth of the postseason, which leads all defensemen.
It was an important goal to stop the bleeding and calm things down a bit.
Brett Howden was whistled for cross-checking on the next shift, but the Vegas penalty kill did what it has done all postseason. Vegas spent a lot of time in the defensive end but managed to prevent any dangerous looks for the Hurricanes.
Hart then made a huge save on Logan Stankoven on yet another breakaway.
The Golden Knights walked away trailing by just one goal despite putting up only four shots on goal. However, that will be a common theme throughout the series, as the Hurricanes are the best possession club in the NHL.
Perhaps it was rust, or maybe the Golden Knights needed a little time to adapt to Carolina’s tempo. The Golden Knights looked uncomfortable, the Hurricanes dominated on the rush, and it was Carolina that capitalized on Vegas mistakes, not the other way around. However, it was a one-goal game through 20 minutes, giving Vegas a chance to turn things around after the intermission.
Second period
It took just 30 seconds to do that, as the Golden Knights had a quick-strike of their own early in the second. Vegas won a board battle, and Eichel found Ivan Barbashev in the slot. Barbashev beat Frederik Andersen with a top-shelf laser, resetting the score less than a minute in.
The Golden Knights took their first lead of the series when William Karlsson scored 4:05 later, giving Vegas a 3-2 lead less than five minutes in. Mitch Marner made a great pass from behind the goal line after he and Brett Howden went to work on the forecheck, setting up Karlsson in front.
The Golden Knights got their first two power plays of the series in the second period. Though the man-advantage didn’t convert, the power play was able to get set up, move the puck around, keep Carolina on its heels and get pucks to the net. That’s something other teams were largely unable to do in earlier rounds against the Hurricanes. Though it didn’t capitalize, it was encouraging to see, as was the fact that Eichel was firing pucks at the net (and hit the post on each opportunity).
But Carolina made it a brand new game once again at 12:42 when captain Jordan Staal netted his third of the playoffs. A failed clear at the blue line by Noah Hanifin set up the play, and Staal beat Hart above the blocker.
It was another preventable goal. The Golden Knights made yet another mistake, as Hanifin fanned on the clearing attempt, and Hart was unable to get a piece of the shot.
It was one of Carolina’s few chances in the frame, which Vegas controlled.
After getting outshot 12-4 in the first period, the Golden Knights had an 11-4 advantage in shots in the middle frame, outscoring Carolina 2-1. Vegas also led 24-12 in shot attempts, 14-3 in scoring chances, 6-1 in high-danger chances and owned 78.92 percent of the expected goal share, per Natural Stat Trick.
The two clubs entered the third period tied at 3-3 after a very entertaining 40 minutes of hockey.
Third period
The Golden Knights weren’t able to cash in on their carry-over power play time, but that didn’t stop them from getting off to another fantastic start to the period.
Theodore set up the play, making a move around Sean Walker to create space as he danced into the slot. He then found a cutting Brett Howden for the backdoor tap, and Howden finished the play with a perfect tip for his NHL-leading 11th goal of the playoffs. Howden has 11 goals in his last 13 games.
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The goal came 1:21 into the third period and put Vegas back on top with a 4-3 lead. Brayden McNabb recorded the secondary assist on the play for his third helper of the night. It was the first three-assist game of his 14-year career.
The Hurricanes capitalized on a questionable icing call, which had the Vegas bench up in arms. The Anaheim Ducks were in a similar situation in Game 1 of the second-round series, though this wasn’t as close a race. Even so, the referees did not move the faceoff to center ice, and the Hurricanes made the most of it. Right off the offensive draw, the puck made its way to Shayne Gostisbehere, who beat Hart blocker-side from the left circle to make it a 4-4 game with 8:41 remaining in the third.
The Hurricanes were energized by the goal and started to push, but the Golden Knights had a great opportunity with under seven minutes to go. However, Andersen made his best save of the night on Colton Sissons, exploding across the crease to make the pad stop and keep things knotted up at 4-4.
Hart made his best save of the game shortly thereafter with a glove stop on Seth Jarvis.
On the next shift, the Golden Knights scored the go-ahead goal courtesy of Tomas Hertl. A give-and-go between Hertl and Sissons left Hertl in the slot, and he beat Andersen with 3:24 remaining to give the Golden Knights the 5-4 edge.
It was a fantastic goal and an even better pass by Sissons, and it put the pressure on Carolina.
Though the Hurricanes pulled the goalie and had a few looks, Vegas held on to the lead and picked up a huge win on the road.
What. A. Game.
The Stanley Cup Final between the Golden Knights and Hurricanes got off to a phenomenal start. The Golden Knights collected a hard-fought win, which was their seventh comeback win of the postseason.
The Hurricanes, who didn’t face a ton of adversity in the first few rounds, managed to stay right there with Vegas until the very end. However, Vegas made the extra play, stealing home-ice advantage in the process with a huge performance to kick off the series.
This is the Hurricanes’ second loss of the postseason, with the other coming in Game 1 against Montreal. Carolina managed to turn things around, winning four straight, but the Golden Knights and Canadiens are different breeds.
Even so, this is just one game. Both teams will need to take this matchup one period at a time.
But the Golden Knights were able to win despite making way too many costly mistakes. They also did so with one of Hart’s least impressive performances of the postseason. He still did enough, but he let in several goals he could have stopped, including Gostisbehere’s equalizer late in the third.
Hart finished the night with 23 saves on 27 shots for an .852 save percentage. He made the timely save Vegas needed, however, when he stopped Jarvis in the third period.
Andersen, meanwhile, stopped 18 of 23 shots for a .783 save percentage. He, too, underperformed, though he hasn’t faced an opponent of Vegas’ caliber this postseason.
In the end, goaltending was a bit of a wash, with neither netminder looking particularly sharp.
That being said, these teams were flying.
The Golden Knights’ penalty kill continues to be a factor. It kicked off the Stanley Cup Final going 2-for-2 against the Hurricanes’ struggling man-advantage. Though the Vegas power play was unsuccessful on three tries, Vegas was moving the puck extremely well and looked dangerous. That bodes well for the Golden Knights moving forward. Even if neither team scored, Vegas had the better special-teams play in Game 1.
The Golden Knights are no strangers to playing from behind, and they had to do so once again tonight. Ehlers’ first goal could have been catastrophic on the road, and though he scored again and put Vegas in a two-goal hole, there was no panic from the Golden Knights. They looked lost and overwhelmed at times, though that’s normal when facing Carolina. But the Golden Knights still stopped the bleeding, going 12 minutes between goals and managing to keep the deficits manageable. After trailing 2-0 in the first and 2-1 early in the second, Vegas was tied or ahead the rest of the way.
Theodore’s goal was a turning point in the game. Theodore had an outstanding night after the first shift, which was a rough start for Vegas’ top line and top pairing. But everyone worked to make up for it in some way, including Theodore, who finished Game 1 with three points, including his huge goal in the first and two subsequent helpers. His partner, McNabb, finished the night with three helpers for a milestone performance.
But the Golden Knights withstood Carolina’s early push and found their legs later in the period. They made a statement with their game-tying goal 30 seconds into the second period, and they did the same to start the third.
The late icing was frustrating, though it was a judgment call by the linesman that cost the Golden Knights. However, bad calls are made all the time. The fact that Vegas was upset about it but didn’t crumble is important. Vegas went back to work and managed to overcome it. It was somewhat ironic after a similar situation unfolded in Game 1 of the second round when the Ducks were livid with a close icing call. This one seemed a little more clear-cut, but it’s one the Golden Knights can put behind them now since they neutralized it with the go-ahead goal from Hertl.
The Golden Knights were sloppy throughout the contest, but they made the most of their opportunities offensively. In fact, Vegas got goals from all four lines. In a Stanley Cup Final game. On the road. After an extended break.
The fourth line was on the ice for Theodore’s goal, with Cole Smith recording the secondary assist on the play. Barbashev beat Andersen on an absolute laser as the first line made up for the start of the game. Karlsson scored in front after Howden and Marner went to work below the goal line. In fact, Vegas scored several goals that started below the goal line, which is critical since Carolina puts so much defensive pressure on players at the point. Howden then scored one of his own as he continues to defy all odds; he now leads all NHL players with 11 postseason tallies.
Defensively, Vegas gave up three goals to the Hurricanes’ third line, which hard-matched against Vegas’ top line. The Golden Knights held 10 of Carolina’s 12 forwards without a point, but the Staal-Ehlers combination proved problematic. The Golden Knights offered too much assistance with poor puck management, and the veteran line took full advantage. It’s great that the Golden Knights held the Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake line off the board, but they’ll have to clean things up against Carolina’s matchup line.
The turnovers were a clear issue, particularly early on. The Golden Knights cleaned things up a bit, but they’ll have to make adjustments ahead of Game 2 to prevent gifting the Hurricanes with odd-man rushes and breakaways. Some of it could have been rust. It’s possible some could have been nerves, too. Even though the Vegas roster has plenty of experience, it’s still the Stanley Cup Final, and the road atmosphere (plus the early goal) didn’t help.
Either way, Vegas found a way to settle in and get to its game. It wasn’t a perfect night by any means, but the Golden Knights found a way to win, which is all that matters at this time of year.
The Golden Knights did so despite making mistakes. If those issues can be addressed, the Golden Knights will have a chance to steal both road games to start the series. It will be easier said than done, however, especially against a committed defensive team like the Hurricanes. Carolina didn’t back down even when Vegas took control of the momentum, and the Hurricanes won three rounds in 13 games for a reason.
This is sure to be a competive series, and it will pick up again Thursday night in Game 2.
Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.
Photo via @GoldenKnights on X