Golden Knights Take Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final

The Vegas Golden Knights opened the Stanley Cup Final with a dramatic 5-4 comeback win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night, overcoming a rough start and taking home-ice advantage in the series.

Tomas Hertl scored the game-winner with 3:24 left in the third period, taking a backhand pass from Colton Sissons and beating Frederik Andersen from the slot to break a 4-4 tie.

Vegas had fallen behind almost immediately. Nikolaj Ehlers scored for Carolina just 25 seconds into the game on the first shot of the night, then added a breakaway goal midway through the first period to give the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead in front of a roaring home crowd in Raleigh.

But the Golden Knights did not panic. Vegas coach John Tortorella gathered his players during a TV timeout, and the team slowly worked its way back into the game.

“I’ve said it all through the playoffs: it’s a find-a-way league,” Tortorella said. “We found a way tonight.”

Shea Theodore, Ivan Barbashev and William Karlsson scored as Vegas turned the early deficit into a 3-2 lead. Carolina answered through Jordan Staal, before Brett Howden scored his postseason-leading 11th goal just 1:21 into the third period to put Vegas ahead 4-3.

The Hurricanes tied it again on a Shayne Gostisbehere goal midway through the third, but Hertl delivered the final swing in a back-and-forth opener.

Carter Hart made 23 saves for Vegas, including a key stop on Seth Jarvis shortly before Hertl’s winning goal. Andersen finished with 18 saves for Carolina.

The win extended the Golden Knights’ playoff winning streak to seven games, following their second-round finish against Anaheim and a stunning sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.

The Hurricanes entered the Final after going 12-1 through the first three rounds, becoming the first team since 1983 to reach the Stanley Cup Final with only one loss. But Vegas, which has surged since replacing Bruce Cassidy with Tortorella late in the season, again showed its ability to absorb pressure and respond.

Game 2 will be played Thursday in Raleigh, with Vegas already looking to return home with a 2-0 series lead.