Svechnikov, Staal push Hurricanes within one win of Stanley Cup

The criticism of the Carolina Hurricanes in past postseasons is that they don’t get enough from their stars, especially in the first few games of the Stanley Cup Final.

That tune isn’t being sung after Thursday night. Thanks to stellar performances from the likes of Andrei Svechnikov, Nikolaj Ehlers and captain Jordan Staal, the Hurricanes came away with a 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of the final, and are now within a win of lifting Lord Stanley.

Vegas was able to jump out in front first, but the lead didn’t last long. Just a few minutes later, Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers threw a rather innocent-looking shot toward Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart. However, Staal was driving the net and tipped the puck past Hart to tie the game at one.

The goal wasn’t just Staal’s eighth of the playoffs, or his sixth of the series. It was the fifth consecutive game where the veteran center had found the back of the net. He became just the fourth player in NHL history to start off a Stanley Cup Final with goals in each of the first five games, and the first since Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau accomplished the feat during the 1956 final.

The marker seemed to further spark the home crowd and the rest of the team. The Canes started to push even more in the second period. A power play just past the halfway mark of the frame led to Andrei Svechnikov firing a shot through Hart’s five-hole to put Carolina out in front for the first time.

Later on in the frame, Sebastian Aho extended the lead to two with his fifth of the playoffs and first in the series. A costly double-minor penalty taken by Golden Knights captain Mark Stone put the Hurricanes back on the man advantage.

In the latter half of the power play, Ehlers made a slick play to set up Svechnikov for his second of the game, giving Carolina a three-goal cushion.

It’s Svechnikov’s first multi-goal game of the postseason, and the first since his hat trick in Game 3 of the first round last year against the New Jersey Devils.

While the Golden Knights tried to come back late, Canes goaltender Brandon Bussi shut the door once again, earning his second win of the series, helping his team grab a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven.

The game didn’t see nearly as hectic a start as we saw in the first four games of the series, though that didn’t stop the Golden Knights from getting on the board with an early chance. It took almost seven minutes for the visitors to put their first shot on goal, but they made it count. On the power play, a pretty give-and-go with Jack Eichel led to Pavel Dorofeyev driving home his first goal of the final, and his 11th tally of the postseason.

It was Dorofeyev’s first goal since Game 1 of the Western Conference Final against the Colorado Avalanche. A couple of minutes after Svechnikov’s second goal of the contest, Dorofeyev also scored his second of the game to cut the deficit to two, giving him his fifth multi-point game of the postseason.

Ehlers led all skaters with three points, each of which was an assist. Hurricanes defender Shayne Gostisbehere had a pair of helpers in the win, as well. Eichel and Dorofeyev each had two points for Vegas.

The teams were level in shots, 24-24. In his second career postseason start, Bussi turned away 22 shots, while Carter was credited with just 20 in the losing effort.

Carolina went 2-for-5 on the power play, while the Golden Knights were 1-for-3.

The Hurricanes are now close to clinching the franchise’s first championship since 2006. That year, the team had a 3-1 lead over the Edmonton Oilers, but squandered the cushion before winning Game 7. The Golden Knights have only ever faced elimination in the final once, losing to the Washington Capitals eight years ago.

The series returns to Sin City on Sunday night for Game 6. Puck drop at T-Mobile Arena is scheduled for a little after 8 p.m. ET.