RALEIGH, N.C. — A wild final quarter-hour of hockey saw the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights light up the scoreboard with five goals Thursday night in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, with one additional score disallowed.
The dramatic conclusion somehow topped the excitement from the series opener two days prior, when Vegas’ Tomas Hertl netted the game-winner with 3:24 remaining on the clock. With the series now even, the Hurricanes mounted an incredible comeback from a multiple-goal disadvantage.
Here’s the breakdown of the action:
Trailing 2-0 after generating minimal offensive pressure through two periods and most of the third, Carolina trapped the Golden Knights in their defensive zone, firing three shots at goaltender Carter Hart. When Vegas cleared the puck down the ice, the home crowd sensed their team gaining momentum.
“The building got going,” captain Jordan Staal said. “Obviously, we just needed a spark.”
Logan Stankoven, who has emerged as one of Carolina’s top performers throughout the playoffs, decided to create his own opportunity. He stripped the puck from Rasmus Andersson behind the goal, moved toward the net and deflected the puck off defender Jeremy Lauzon for the score.
“It’s tough to find goals,” Staal said. “We got a bounce. That’s kind of all it took.”
The shift in energy was immediate, and Carolina’s fourth line maintained the pressure. William Carrier managed to stay onside and, while getting entangled with Lauzon, fed the puck to teammate Mark Jankowski on the rush, who beat Hart to level the score.
“I didn’t have a lot of time, honestly,” said Jankowski, who notched his first playoff goal after having two others disallowed. “Just got it on my stick, got my head up and just tried to give my best shot possible. Didn’t have a lot of thought behind it, honestly. Instinct half kicked in there.”
With Vegas forward Ivan Barbashev, a two-time Cup winner, positioned near the net with space to work, Carolina netminder Frederik Andersen extended across his crease to deflect the puck with his stick blade. After players swarmed the area, the puck found its way into the net, but referee Jean Hebert immediately nullified the goal, ruling goaltender interference due to contact with Andersen.
Golden Knights coach John Tortorella disputed the decision. Officials and the NHL’s on-site review center quickly upheld the original call, awarding Carolina a power play opportunity.
“I saw a loose puck in front of Freddie,” Tortorella said. “Our player stabbed it, didn’t move the goalie and it goes through him into the other side. I’d challenge it 10 out of 10 times.”
Carolina entered the man-advantage having failed on all four previous power play chances in the series and converting just 7 of 60 opportunities during the playoffs. Shayne Gostisbehere fired from the blue line, with Staal deflecting the shot past Hart from close range to give the Hurricanes their first lead of the contest.
“Just shooting pucks and finding ways to get it to the net,” Staal said. “Just finding ways to get a good, quality shot.”
Jackson Blake’s interference penalty on Barbashev gave Vegas their own power play chance. Carolina’s penalty killers successfully defended the advantage, maintaining their impressive 56-for-60 record, good for 93.3% efficiency.
Moments after the man-advantage ended and with Hart pulled for an extra attacker, Golden Knights captain Mark Stone evened the score. The puck deflected off Stone, and Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin accidentally directed it into his own goal.
Hertl’s tripping penalty on Staal at 3:17 of overtime gave the Hurricanes another power play opportunity.
Gostisbehere connected with Seth Jarvis, who had been moved to the third line by coach Rod Brind’Amour due to his recent struggles. Jarvis unleashed a one-timer that beat Hart, securing a 4-3 victory for his team.
“It’s huge,” Jarvis said. “To be able to contribute to win and help the team out like that is nice, get the power play going even more after Jordo, follow his lead. Just keep this wave rolling now.”
