NHL

Vegas Golden Knights at Carolina Hurricanes

· Stanley Cup Final - Game 2
Vegas Golden Knights
39-26-17
Final
3 - 4
Carolina Hurricanes
53-22-7

Game 3 looms large as Hurricanes and Golden Knights trade stunning comebacks

TJ Oshie, Dave Jackson break down Vegas' pivotal failed challenge

So it's probably appropriate the teams split the first two games in Carolina, but if history is a guide, the winner of Saturday's Game 3 will have an enormous edge. Teams that take a 2-1 series lead in the final went on to win the Cup 46 of 57 times, or 80.7%.

But this series has been, if anything, unpredictable.

The Hurricanes couldn't have gotten off to a better start in the opener. Nikolaj Ehlers scored just 25 seconds into the game and soon after added a second goal for a 2-0 lead. But the Golden Knights rallied with three consecutive goals to begin a back-and-forth finish.

Vegas ultimately won 5-4 when Tomas Hertl scored with 3:24 remaining off a sensational backhand pass from Colton Sissons.

The Golden Knights appeared to take full control of the series in Game 2, taking a 2-0 lead deep into third period. But Carolina scored three goals beginning with 9:40 left before Mark Stone forced overtime with a six-on-five goal with 1:21 remaining.

Seth Jarvis' power-play goal 3:56 into OT gave the Hurricanes a 4-3 victory and evened the series.

Vegas is known for putting on a show, be it at T-Mobile Arena or elsewhere on the famed Strip, but it will be difficult to top what happened in Carolina.

Regular Season Series

VGK wins series 2-0

Scoring Summary

Goal 1st Period 13:33 Brett Howden Goal (12) Snap Shot, assists: Mitch Marner (16)
Goal 2nd Period 7:23 Brett Howden Goal (13) Wrist Shot, assists: Ivan Barbashev (8), Noah Hanifin (7)
Goal 3rd Period 10:20 Logan Stankoven Goal (10) Backhand, assists: none
Goal 3rd Period 12:46 Mark Jankowski Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: William Carrier (4), Eric Robinson (4)
Goal 3rd Period 15:25 Jordan Staal Goal (4) Tip-In, assists: Shayne Gostisbehere (5), Andrei Svechnikov (5)
Goal 3rd Period 18:39 Mark Stone Goal (6) Backhand, assists: Mitch Marner (17), Tomas Hertl (7)
Goal 4th Period 3:56 Seth Jarvis Goal (4) Slap Shot, assists: Shayne Gostisbehere (6), Sebastian Aho (4)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/vgk.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originVGK https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/car.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCAR
25 Blocked Shots 11
25 Hits 46
4 Takeaways 4
26 Shots 26
0 Power Play Goals 2
4 Power Play Opportunities 4
0.0 Power Play Percentage 50.0
0 Short Handed Goals 0
0 Shootout Goals 0
27 Faceoffs Won 35
43.5 Faceoff Win Percent 56.5
12 Giveaways 17
4 Total Penalties 4
8 Penalty Minutes 8
Carolina Hurricanes Carolina Hurricanes Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
William Carrier, LW Day-To-Day Jun 6
Vegas Golden Knights Vegas Golden Knights Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE

Game Information

Lenovo Center

Location: Raleigh, NC
Attendance: 18,710 | Capacity:

2025-26 Pacific Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Vegas 17 26 95 39
Edmonton 11 30 93 41
Anaheim 6 33 92 43
Los Angeles 20 27 90 35
San Jose 8 35 86 39
Seattle 11 37 79 34
Calgary 9 39 77 34
Vancouver 8 49 58 25

2025-26 Metropolitan Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Carolina 7 22 113 53
Pittsburgh 16 25 98 41
Philadelphia 12 27 98 43
Washington 9 30 95 43
Columbus 12 30 92 40
NY Islanders 5 34 91 43
New Jersey 3 37 87 42
NY Rangers 9 39 77 34
Full Standings