Golden Knights Edge Hurricanes in Thrilling Stanley Cup Final Opener
Vegas Golden Knights beat Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 behind Hertl's game-winning goal in Cup Final Game 1.
Event / Sports
2026 Stanley Cup Final
Vegas Golden Knights defeat Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final on June 2, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Golden Knights rallied from a 2-0 deficit with goals from Theodore, Barbashev, Karlsson, Howden, and Hertl, extending their playoff winning streak to seven games.
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2026-08-17 to 2026-11-14 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 3 Jun, 17:05 UTC
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What happened
Jordan Staal and Shayne Gostisbehere score tying goals for Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere each scored goals to tie the game after Vegas had taken leads. Staal tied the game at 3-3 with 7:18 remaining in the second period. Gostisbehere tied the game at 4-4 with 8:41 remaining in the third period before Hertl scored the game-winner.
Carter Hart makes 23 saves for Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart made 23 saves in the game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Despite allowing 5 goals, Hart's performance was instrumental in Vegas securing the road victory. The Hurricanes outshot Vegas 27-23 overall.
Nikolaj Ehlers scores twice for Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1
Carolina Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers scored two goals in the opening period of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. He scored 25 seconds into the game on the first shot of the contest, then added a second goal midway through the first period to give Carolina an early 2-0 lead before the Golden Knights mounted their comeback.
Vegas Golden Knights defeat Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in Stanley Cup Final Game 1
The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night in Raleigh, North Carolina. Tomas Hertl scored the game-winning goal with 3:24 remaining in the third period on a backhand shot from the slot, assisted by Colton Sisson. The Golden Knights rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the opening period to secure the victory.
First Stanley Cup Final game features goals within 30 seconds in first two periods
Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final marked the first time in history that a Stanley Cup Final game featured goals scored within the first 30 seconds in each of the first two periods. Nikolaj Ehlers scored 25 seconds into the game, and Ivan Barbashev scored 30 seconds into the second period.
Shea Theodore, Ivan Barbashev, William Karlsson, and Brett Howden score for Vegas Golden Knights
Defenseman Shea Theodore, forward Ivan Barbashev, forward William Karlsson, and forward Brett Howden each scored goals for the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1. Theodore scored to make it 2-1 after Ehlers' two early goals. Barbashev tied the game 30 seconds into the second period. Karlsson gave Vegas a 3-2 lead on a pass from Mitch Marner. Howden scored 1:21 into the third period for his 11th playoff goal, giving Vegas a 4-3 lead.
Stanley Cup Final Game 2 scheduled for Thursday in Raleigh
Game 2 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes is scheduled for Thursday, June 5, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. EDT in Raleigh, North Carolina. Game 3 will be played in Las Vegas on Saturday. Vegas has taken the home-ice advantage away from the Hurricanes with the Game 1 victory.
Tomas Hertl scores game-winning goal in Stanley Cup Final Game 1
Czech forward Tomas Hertl scored the game-winning goal for the Vegas Golden Knights with 3:24 remaining in the third period of Game 1. His backhand shot from the slot, assisted by Colton Sisson from the right faceoff circle, gave Vegas a 5-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. This marked Hertl's first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 2016 when he played for the San Jose Sharks.
Vegas Golden Knights extend playoff winning streak to seven games
The Vegas Golden Knights extended their playoff winning streak to seven consecutive games with the victory over Carolina. The streak began with the final two games of their six-game second-round series against the Anaheim Ducks, followed by a four-game sweep of the Presidents' Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals.
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