The biggest game of the season, to this point, dropped at the Lenovo Center on Thursday night. Tied at two games apiece in the Stanley Cup Final after the Carolina Hurricanes won in Vegas on Tuesday, the home crowd was amped for what could be the final home game of the season. They hoped the team on the ice would respond in kind by taking Game 5 to move one step closer to the ultimate goal.
The Hurricanes kept their alignment the same on Thursday. Brandon Bussi made his second straight start, and Pyotr Kochetkov served as the backup. To add another layer of mystery to the current goalie situation, the Canes called up Amir Miftakhov from Chicago this afternoon. Vegas also kept its lineup the same, sending Carter Hart out once more.
An early Carolina mistake led to Vegas breaking the ice. Nikolaj Ehlers threw the puck over the glass, allowing Jack Eichel and Pavel Dorofeyev to connect on the power play for the opening goal. Jordan Staal saw this and realized he still needed to score a goal. He did exactly that midway through the frame, redirecting a pass from Ehlers to tie it up. After 20, the teams were deadlocked.
After killing a carry-over penalty, the Canes played their best second period of the series. The power play pushed them ahead. Andrei Svechnikov snapped a shot from the near dot through a screen and into the net to give the Canes the lead. Then, Sebastian Aho made his presence felt, kicking a pass to his stick before elevating it past Hart. Carolina won the period, taking a 3-1 lead into the third.
The Canes' power play got another to extend the lead after Mark Stone was guilty of a double-minor. Vegas killed the first half, but Shayne Gostisbehere and Ehlers got the puck to Svechnikov in front of the net for a tap-in and his second of the night. Dorofeyev followed suit to make it close late in the period, but the Canes' defense held firm to win 4-2, pushing them one win away from the Stanley Cup.
When they needed them the most, the top line found its spark
It felt like the only thing we were hearing throughout the start of this series was how the Hurricanes' top line has been largely absent. Tonight, they changed that narrative. Andrei Svechnikov scored twice. Sebastian Aho scored his first of the Final. They were the difference-makers the team needed them to be. It couldn't have come at a better time.
We've been saying for a few series now that getting the top line going and getting the power play going were one and the same. Both of Svechnikov's goals tonight came while up a man. Both materialized with the help of Shayne Gostisbehere (2 PPAs) and Nikolaj Ehlers (3 A). The group has come to life in the Stanley Cup Final. They've been buzzing at the right time.
This was more of the game we'd been expecting from these two teams
I'll admit, it's a tad refreshing that we finally got a game that didn't feature a ton of wacky shenanigans. Those are typically the games that the Hurricanes prefer to play. There were no multi-goal comebacks. There was tension, but nothing to cause too much concern once the Canes went up by three. It was Carolina Hurricanes hockey through and through.
It starts with the team correcting its issues during the second period with the long change. The middle frame had been the team's bugaboo, if you will. That was not the case on Thursday. The Canes took control of the game in the second and never looked back. The third period was a little more chaotic than they would've liked. It still ended with a victory in front of the home crowd.
Additional Thoughts
Brandon Bussi continues to be a rock in the net for the Canes. I don't know how he has done it. He was on top of just about everything that Vegas threw at him. There's nothing he could've done about the first goal, though the second one was a tough rebound in front of the net. Still, he was moving well and handling tips. There's no doubt that he should be out there for Game 6.
Jordan Staal's magical series added another incredible moment with his sixth goal of the Cup Final. Jordan Martinook's overbearing forecheck kicked Aho's goal into motion. Gostisbehere made an incredible decision on the power play in the third period to carry the puck up the ice, creating the 3-on-2 that ended with a goal. These plays won't get the shine they deserve, but they ought to.
Vegas took a big hit in tonight's contest when William Karlsson exited with what appeared to be a left wrist or arm injury. He left in the second period and didn't return. He's been hurt for most of the season. The sentiment after the game from John Tortorella is that he's likely done for the series, making this a massive loss for the Golden Knights as they head home.
Up Next: Just one win separates the Carolina Hurricanes from the Stanley Cup, and the 16th win is the hardest one to get. Both teams will have two days to think about it before the puck drops in Vegas on Sunday night. If the Golden Knights are successful in extending their season one more game, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final will be played in Raleigh next Wednesday night.
