Stanley Cup Final: Hurricanes Beat Golden Knights To Reach The Edge Of Glory

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Carolina Hurricanes' top line finally showed up, and the Vegas Golden Knights are in trouble. 

Andrei Svechnikov scored twice, and Sebastian Aho got his first in six games to pace the Hurricanes 4-2 in a crucial Game 5 victory. Carolina is now one victory away from winning the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2006.

Vegas played with fire by taking some undisciplined penalties, and the Canes made them pay.

"We got to the simple things: a shooting mentality and looking for rebounds," Svechnikov said. "We've got the chemistry going on."

Funny enough, the game's first two periods were the inverse of what we have become used to in this series. This time, it was Vegas outshooting Carolina in the first, and the Golden Knights broke the ice on the power play thanks to a Jack Eichel rush that saw the superstar center make a beautiful dish to Pavel Dorofeyev, who made no mistake on Brandon Bussi.

Carolina got square 12 minutes in, with Nikolaj Ehlers making a perfect pass to – who else? – Jordan Staal, who tipped the puck past Carter Hart.

Staal's five-game goal-scoring streak tied the NHL record for the longest in a Stanley Cup final. The last time someone achieved that feat was Yvan Cournoyer in 1973.

Continuing the script-flipping, the Canes went on the offensive in the second, which had been their trouble period against Vegas previously. The Golden Knights took two straight unnecessary penalties, one by Jeremy Lauzon and the next by Brayden McNabb.

Carolina made them pay on the second, with Svechnikov ripping a shot past Hart that may have been screened by Lauzon.

"Our second periods up until today were...not good," Ehlers said. "There were things we needed to change, and today, we were able to play a little more simple, making sure pucks were getting in deep and making sure you don't change without looking behind you. And that worked pretty well."

Bussi was called into service after that, making key saves on Brett Howden and Mitch Marner. Bussi started his second straight game with Pyotr Kochetkov backing up, while Frederik Andersen was scratched again. Carolina even recalled AHL goalie Amir Miftakhov just in case.

Seconds later, Aho took a Sean Walker pass off his skate and roofed one over Hart to give the Canes a 3-1 lead.

Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said Aho's played really well.

"Getting on the scoresheet, he knows he needs to do that - he's getting all that power-play time to cash in," Brind'Amour said. "Doesn't mean he wasn't playing well. All playoffs, he's played really well. But man, if we can get that out of him, it's a big bonus for our team."

Added Aho: "It feels good (to score), but we play for the win here, and the win feels better."

Even worse for the Golden Knights, William Karlsson left the game during the second period after taking a hit from Walker. Karlsson went to hospital for more thorough examination, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Penalties stung Vegas again in the third with Mark Stone taking a double-minor for high-sticking Jalen Chatfield. 

Ehlers made a spinning pass to Svechnikov on the doorstep to get his second power-play goal of the game and push the lead to 4-1.

"We know what kind of passes 'Fly' can make," Svechnikov said of Ehlers. "I went back-door, and I knew he was going to make that pass because he sees everything on the ice. I just had to stick out my stick. Unbelievable play by him."

Of course, we know in this series that it ain't over until it's over.

The Golden Knights did find life late when Dorofeyev popped one in on the doorstep after getting lost between Carolina's defense, and all of a sudden, it was a two-goal game.

Ehlers then took another puck-over-the-glass penalty (Carolina had three on the night, Ehlers with two of them) with 2:13 remaining, and Vegas called a timeout. They put Hart on the bench for a 6-on-4 advantage, but Bussi stood tall. He also got some great defense from the players in front of him, including from K'Andre Miller, who blocked a painful shot, then cleared the zone to relieve the pressure.

The Golden Knights never got closer, and Carolina is now in the driver's seat, up 3-2 heading into Game 6 back in Nevada.

Ehlers finished the game with three assists, but he addressed the puck-over-glass penalties post-game.

"Personally, that was probably my worst game of the playoffs," Ehlers said. "I'm not excited to...I'm excited, but I'm not excited to see my dad after the game tonight, because he's been a hockey coach for 25 years."

In previous Stanley Cup finals that were tied 2-2 in a seven-game series, the squad that won Game 5 went on to win the trophy 20 times out of 27.

Carolina can become the 21st squad to do so as early as Game 6 on Sunday in Vegas at 8 p.m. ET.

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