Jordan Staal scored his second goal of the game while stretched out on his stomach at 6:32 of the third period to put the carolina/">Carolina Hurricanes ahead for good in their 5-3 victory on Tuesday night over the Vegas Golden Knights and even the Stanley Cup Final after four games.
Game 5 is Thursday night at Carolina, which will potentially have two games on home ice to win its first Cup in two decades. The Golden Knights are searching for their second in four years.
This was the first game not decided by one goal.
A two-goal lead has disappeared in all four games this series. Each team has led by at least that many twice.
The Golden Knights, who lead the series 2-1, have outscored Carolina 9-1 in the second period in the final.
Mike Bossy in 1982 with the New York Islanders against the Vancouver Canucks was the last player score in the first four games of a final. Staal is the ninth to do it.
Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake also scored for the Hurricanes. The goal from Blake came just after the power play expired, but Staal’s occurred with a man advantage. Blake also has an assist.
Brandon Bussi started in place of Frederik Andersen in goal and has made nine saves. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour told ABC that Andersen, who did not dress, needed the rest. Pyotr Kochetkov is the backup goalie with Andersen serving as the emergency goaltender.
“Let (Andersen) rest,” Brind’Amour said. “Give him as many days here as we can.”
Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Brett Howden scored goals for the Golden Knights, and Carter Hart has made 20 saves. Karlsson also has an assist.
The Hurricanes outplayed the Golden Knights in the period, outshooting Vegas 14-6. But the Golden Knights, according to Natural Stat Trick, had four high-danger chances to three for Carolina.
The difference was the Hurricanes took advantage of their chances.
Brind’Amour replaced Andersen with Bussi trailing 4-0 after two periods in Game 2 on Saturday, and he saved the first 18 shots he faced as the Hurricanes mounted a furious rally. Bussi failed to save the 19th shot when Theodore knocked the puck off the boards and it bounced off Bussi’s skate for a Golden Knights victory.
Should the Golden Knights win and take a 3-1 series lead, they will be in an almost unbeatable position. Teams with such an advantage in the final are 38-1, the one defeat occurring 84 years ago when Detroit lost a 3-0 lead and fell to Toronto.
A Hurricanes victory would not only even the best-of-seven series, but regain home-ice advantage with potentially two of the three remaining games in Carolina.
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