At 32, Tomas Hertl knows there won't be that many more chances at a Stanley Cup.

Thus, he's making the most of his second chance.

Hertl hasn't stopped thinking about hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup since the first time he made it to Final.

That was in 2016, when the San Jose Sharks won the Western Conference but lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Cup Final.

And for Hertl, it was even more of a disappointment since his time was cut short in the series due to an injury.

The following year the Sharks lost to the Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final in six games, then it was another trip to the conference final and a loss to the St. Louis Blues.

Last season, in his first playoff run with the Golden Knights, it was another exit from the conference final, as the Edmonton Oilers ended things.

Hertl said after his game-winning goal in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, he's making the most of his second-chance opportunity.

"Obviously, you don't waste it," he said on the postgame broadcast. "It's still a lot of game(s) left, (but) it's a great start (to) the series."

After a wild back-and-forth affair on Tuesday, it was Hertl's shot from the slot that put Vegas ahead late in the third period.

The Golden Knights' 5-4 win marked the first time in 56 games that a road team that trailed by multiple goals in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final came back to steal the win.

"It was awesome," Hertl said. "The building buzzing. Obviously, we didn't have the greatest start, but it's kind of been our story all season, but we never give up.

"We just a team, it doesn't matter, we up or down, we just keep playing. We come strong in the second and the third and turn it around and big win in the first game."

After failing to score in 29 straight games, 20 in the regular season and nine in the playoffs, the 32-year-old from Czechia has four goals in the team's last eight games, two of them being game-winners in comeback victories.

"I haven’t coached him for long, and a lot of those games weren’t that good," Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said. "I think he’s grown. He never stopped working. I thought there were some major struggles in his game, but he never stopped working at his game.

"It’s just great timing, just to try to balance our lineup. He has given us some very important minutes."

Hertl knows how important everyone's role is, with so much at stake, which is why he's tried to stay focused with the task at hand.

That included Tuesday night pregame, when the Stanley Cup was brough onto the ice, and he avoided looking at it.

"I try to put head down and don't think about it because it's ultimate goal and chasing for a long time," Hertl said. "I have second shot in my career."

Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) celebrates scoring during the third period against the Carolina Hurricanes in game one of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center.