Rachel Barkley
Game 4 was a must-win for the Carolina Hurricanes, who had lost two of their three games against the Vegas Golden Knights. Throughout NHL history, only one team had overcome a 3-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final, and that was the Toronto Maple Leafs…so, it’s been a hot minute.
However, the lingering question of who would actually mind the net was the question – a question left lingering by head coach Rod Brind’Amour.
“It’s the only suspenseful thing around here that I have to hold on to,” he joked after Monday’s practice.
When it was time for warmups, the suspense reached an end as Brandon Bussi led the team to the ice, preparing to start a game for the first time in his postseason career. Cheering him on in the building was his family, who had already decided to attend prior to the announcement that Bussi would play.
Interestingly, Frederik Andersen – who had started all games this postseason – was not on the bench, as Pyotr Kochetkov served as the backup Tuesday.
How the Game Went Down
The Hurricanes got off to a hot start, with Logan Stankoven scoring just 1:06 into the game, and was soon followed by Jackson Blake minutes later, who potted the puck just three seconds after their first power play of the night concluded.
Vegas captain Mark Stone got one back, but Carolina captain Jordan Staal scored on the power play before the end of the frame to return the two-goal advantage.
At the buzzer, Brayden McNabb launched a shot past Bussi, but it was promptly removed due to having crossed the goal line after the clock reached zero.
The second period saw a pair of goals for the Golden Knights, William Karlsson and Brett Howden putting in the elbow grease to tie the game, but the third period tipped in favor of the visitors.
Seth Jarvis came up with a turnover served up on a silver platter in the slot by Shea Theodore, but he was unable to get the puck past Carter Hart. Jarvis swatted at it along with three Golden Knights, and the puck found its way to the tape of Nikolaj Ehlers, who sent it in the direction of Staal for one of the coolest goals yet.
Staal, whose stick rose above the puck, swatted at it on the backhand mid-fall, sending it into the net as he landed on his belly, getting the Hurricanes what would be the game-winning goal.
Later in the frame, with the net empty, Ehlers had his own wild goal. Launching the puck from the end boards, it hit the wall and bounced off – scooting its way toward the net, taking its own sweet time, but across the line before it could be caught, making the final score 5-3.
Hurricanes Notes
Jordan Staal is just the third player in NHL history to post five goals in the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final, joining Wayne Gretzky (1985) and Mario Lemieux (1992), who ironically were also captains of their team.
Brandon Bussi was the first undrafted goalie to start a game in the Stanley Cup Final since Ernie Wakely did for the St. Louis Blues in 1970. Additionally, Bussi was also the first right-catching goaltender to start a game in the SCF since Tom Barrasso did for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992.
Throughout the game, Bussi made 18 saves on 21 shots faced, notching a .857 save percentage.
This is the first time this series that a game has been decided by more than one goal.
