Hurricanes work Game 2 OT magic again, topple Vegas to square series at 1-1

Chip Alexander, The News & Observer on Jun 4, 2026

Published in Hockey

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Just when the Carolina Hurricanes seemed down and out, they rose.

Trailing the Vegas Golden Knights by two goals in the third period of Game 2 in the Stanley Cup Final, the Canes fought their way back to take a 4-3 overtime victory Thursday and even the series.

Seth Jarvis’ goal at 3:56 of overtime gave the Canes the win, had the Lenovo Center quaking and evened the series as it heads to Las Vegas.

The Golden Knights needed a late goal from captain Mark Stone in regulation to force overtime after the Canes scored three times to grab a 3-2 lead — Logan Stankoven, Mark Jankowski and Jordan Staal with goals as the decibel count in the arena hit an ear-splitting 115.

But the Golden Knights pulled goalie Carter Hart for a sixth attacker and Stone’s scrambling goal off a backhanded swipe with 1:21 left tied it.

Only one NHL team has won the Cup after losing the first two games of the Cup Final at home — the 1966 Montreal Canadiens. Those are the long odds the Hurricanes faced going into overtime, but the tension level has eased after the thrilling win.

Hurricanes rally big

The Golden Knights led 2-0 in the third and were seemingly in control before a hustling goal by Stankoven lit the arena.

Stankoven outbattled defenseman Rasmus Andersson for the puck behind the Vegas net and scored on a wraparound — the center’s 10th of the playoffs. Just like that, the place was alive.

The Canes continued to push and tied it 2-2 on Jankowski’s goal with 7:14 left in regulation. Jankowski beat Hart with a top-shelf bullet from the slot and it was even louder in the house.

Canes goalie Frederik Andersen made a sprawling save with five minutes left in regulation, smothering the puck in the crease — a play that was reviewed after a coach’s challenge and ruled no-goal.

When Staal scored on a tip of a Shayne Gostisbehere shot, the Canes had the lead.

Vegas controls early

The Golden Knights got a pair of goals from Brett Howden, who had 12 goals and 22 points in 58 games in the regular season. He picked up his 12th and 13 goals of the playoffs Thursday, both on plays that showed off his grit and ability to finish.

The Golden Knights had another slow first-period start, managing two shots on goal. But Howden scored on the second and that was good enough for a 1-0 lead.

Mitch Marner’s long backhanded flip pass caught Howden in full stride at the Carolina blue line. He fought off defenseman Sean Walker — a 50/50 puck battle won by the Vegas forward — and beat Andersen with 6:27 left in the opening period.

It was another critical play by Marner, whose last-second block of an Alexander Nikishin slapshot sealed the win in Game 1. Marner also had a slick backhander to set up a goal in the opener.

Howden’s second goal came after a defensive lapse by the Canes, Howden skated alone up the middle and though the neutral zone, took a pass from Ivan Barbashev, shouldered his way around defenseman Jaccob Slavin and scored again with 12:37 left in the second.

Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour made some line tweaks looking for … something. He moved Nikolaj Ehlers to Sebastian Aho’s line, shifting Jarvis to the Staal line.

With a 2-0 lead, the Golden Knights were content to cut off shooting lanes, clear the zone and let the minutes tick off in the third period. Canes fans remained supportive and were rewarded.

There was a strong offensive flurry midway through the third that had the fans back on their feet. Staal, Ehlers and Jordan Martinook all had shots on goal before the Knights iced the puck.

But the Canes kept pushing.

After the 5-4 loss in Game 1, the Canes spent time breaking down the video and talked of “cleaning up” mistakes that hurt or slowed them in the opener. It worked.