Carolina Hurricanes fend off late Golden Knights charge to come within one win of a Stanley Cup
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes reclaimed control of the Stanley Cup Final with a 4-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 on Thursday night, taking a 3-2 series lead in a game defined by special teams and momentum swings.
The contest at PNC Arena began with a measured pace compared to the explosive starts that had characterized earlier matchups in this series. However, penalties quickly became the night's defining theme.
The Hurricanes were assessed a delay-of-game infraction just before the midpoint of the first period when Nikolaj Ehlers cleared the puck over the glass. Vegas capitalized immediately, with Pavel Dorofeyev scoring his first goal of the evening on the resulting power play, redirecting a feed from Jack Eichel past Carolina's goaltender.
Ehlers found redemption shortly after, assisting on a goal by Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal that evened the score. The tally extended Staal's scoring streak to five consecutive games in the Final, matching the longest such streak in Stanley Cup Final history. Remarkably, Staal had recorded just two goals through the entire playoffs prior to this series.
Carolina's discipline was tested early in the second period as they killed off another delay-of-game penalty, but back-to-back infractions by the Golden Knights shifted momentum. After Jeremy Lauzon's roughing penalty expired, Brayden McNabb was whistled for cross-checking, placing the Hurricanes back on the power play.
Andrei Svechnikov capitalized, giving Carolina its first lead of the game. The forward, who had been searching for production throughout the series, struck again minutes later with Sebastian Aho providing the assist as the Hurricanes built a 3-1 advantage.
Vegas suffered a significant blow when forward William Karlsson exited the game with an injury and did not return.
The Golden Knights' penalty trouble persisted into the third period. Captain Mark Stone was assessed a double minor for high-sticking that drew blood from Carolina's Jalen Chatfield. Svechnikov converted the power play for his second goal of the night, extending the lead to 4-1.
Vegas refused to fold. Dorofeyev scored his second of the game to pull the Golden Knights within two, sparking a furious push that generated several quality scoring opportunities.
With 2:13 remaining and Carolina protecting a two-goal lead, Ehlers was penalized again for delay-of-game, forcing the Hurricanes to kill off the final minutes short-handed. Vegas pulled goaltender Logan Thompson for a 6-on-4 advantage and generated prime chances, including a close-in attempt by Tomas Hertl that was denied by Hurricanes goaltender Bussi.
Bussi finished with 22 saves on 24 shots, including the critical stop on Hertl with 80 seconds left. Carolina's ability to survive the late penalty kill allowed them to ice the puck and run down the clock.
The Hurricanes now head to Las Vegas with an opportunity to claim their second Stanley Cup in franchise history. Game 6 is scheduled for Sunday at T-Mobile Arena.