Carolina has a chance to skate for the Stanley Cup on Sunday after Brandon Bussi stopped 23 shots in his second straight Final start and the Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 in Game 5 at Lenovo Center on Thursday.
The Hurricanes carry a 3-2 edge in the best-of-7 series and can secure their first championship in 20 years with one more win. Jordan Staal extended his goal streak to five games, Andrei Svechnikov struck twice on the power play, Sebastian Aho broke through for his first goal of the series, and Nikolaj Ehlers supplied three assists for a second consecutive three-point night.
After the horn
Vegas grabbed the early edge when Pavel Dorofeyev converted on the power play at 6:52 of the first period. The Golden Knights held a 7-5 advantage in shots through 20 minutes, but Staal erased the deficit at 11:46, tipping Ehlers’ feed from the high slot past Carter Hart.
“Good company, but I’m looking for wins,” Staal said after joining Yvan Cournoyer, Jean Beliveau, Maurice Richard and Cyclone Taylor as the only players to score in five consecutive Stanley Cup Final games. No player has scored in six straight Final games.
At 37, Staal also became the first player in NHL history with a five-game scoring streak both at age 18 or younger and at age 35 or older. His previous five-game run came as an 18-year-old in February 2007.
“Doing it at his age just says a lot about him,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “He’s our guy and he’s our warrior.”
Carolina took control with special teams in the second period. Vegas took consecutive penalties, with Jeremy Lauzon sent off for roughing at 8:56 and Brayden McNabb called for cross-checking at 10:57. Svechnikov fired from the top of the left circle at 11:58 to put the Hurricanes ahead 2-1.
“The idea was to get the shot away as quickly as possible, and it worked,” Svechnikov said.
Aho added breathing room at 17:51, taking Sean Walker’s pass and moving the puck from skate to stick before beating Hart over the blocker on the far side. It was Aho’s first goal in six games and only his second in 14.
“He knows he needs to get on the scoresheet,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s played really well throughout the playoffs, but getting that production from him is a big bonus for our team.”
Mark Stone’s high-sticking double minor at 8:38 of the third gave Carolina another opening. Svechnikov cashed in again at 11:08 for a 4-1 lead, his second power-play goal of the night.
Dorofeyev scored from the crease at 13:49 to pull Vegas within two. The Golden Knights then had Hart on the bench for an extra attacker while killing an Ehlers delay-of-game penalty taken at 17:47, but Carolina closed out the game.
“This is the biggest win of my life personally,” Svechnikov said. “We have one more win to get.”
Bussi has now won both of his first two NHL playoff starts, becoming the first goaltender to make his first two postseason starts in the Stanley Cup Final and win each one. Since entering Game 3 in relief of Frederik Andersen, he has allowed six goals on 65 shots for a .908 save percentage.
“I just try to stay focused, keep to myself and enjoy it,” Bussi said. “I don’t know how I keep my composure, but I have.”
Hart made 20 saves and surrendered four goals for the fifth game in a row. Dorofeyev accounted for both Vegas goals.
The Golden Knights also lost center William Karlsson in the second period. Karlsson appeared to injure his left arm after taking a hit from Walker at 8:19 and headed to the dressing room at the next stoppage, 16 seconds later. Vegas coach John Tortorella had no firm update but indicated Karlsson is unlikely to be available in Game 6.
“You lose a player like Karl, who does so much for our team,” Vegas center Jack Eichel said. “He plays every situation, he’s very dependable in our end, and he generates offense. Everybody else has to step up.”
Vegas has now dropped two games in a row for the first time since Games 2 and 3 of the Western Conference First Round against the Utah Mammoth. Tortorella remained confident the series would return to Raleigh.
“We’ll be back here,” Tortorella said. “We’re just going to do it in a different order.”
Carolina is the second club in Final history to score at least four goals in each of the first five games of a series, matching the 1973 Montreal Canadiens. Ehlers became the 12th player in Final history to post back-to-back three-point games.
Next puck drop
Game 6 is Sunday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with puck drop scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. The Hurricanes can finish the series, while the Golden Knights need a win to force Game 7.
SEO Title: Hurricanes one win from Stanley Cup after Game 5 victory over Golden Knights
SEO Description: Jordan Staal scored in a fifth straight Stanley Cup Final game, Andrei Svechnikov scored twice on the power play, and Carolina moved ahead 3-2 with a 4-2 Game 5 win over Vegas.
