The Vegas Golden Knights had Game 2 where they wanted it.
Then Carolina took it back.
The Hurricanes erased a two-goal third-period deficit and beat the Golden Knights 4-3 in overtime Thursday night at Lenovo Center, tying the Stanley Cup Final at 1-1. Seth Jarvis scored the winner on the power play at 3:56 of overtime after Tomas Hertl was called for tripping.
Vegas led 2-0 after two periods behind two goals from Brett Howden. But Carolina scored three times in the third, survived a late tying goal from Mark Stone and won it on its second power-play goal of the night.
Game 3 is Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Howden Keeps Scoring
Vegas spent the morning talking about a better start after falling behind early in Game 1. The Golden Knights did not generate much offense in the first period, but they did get the first goal.
Howden scored at 13:33 of the first period, beating Frederik Andersen off a Mitch Marner assist to give Vegas a 1-0 lead. It was Howden’s 12th goal of the postseason.
He added another in the second.
Carolina killed a Vegas power play after creating a few shorthanded chances, but the Golden Knights struck seven seconds after the penalty expired. Howden scored again at 7:23, this time off assists from Ivan Barbashev and Noah Hanifin, to make it 2-0.
The goal was Howden’s 13th of the postseason, tying the Golden Knights’ franchise record for goals in a single playoff run. Ten of those goals have come on the road.
Howden had both Vegas goals on three shots through two periods. Carter Hart stopped all 15 Carolina shots he faced in the first 40 minutes, and the Golden Knights carried a 2-0 lead into the third.
Carolina Pushes Back
The game changed quickly in the third.
Stankoven cut the Vegas lead to 2-1 at 10:20, scoring unassisted when a puck found its way through traffic and caromed in off a Vegas player.
Then Mark Jankowski tied it at 12:46, scoring his first goal of the postseason off assists from William Carrier and Eric Robinson.
The biggest swing came less than three minutes later.
Vegas appeared to have a possible go-ahead goal during a scramble around the Carolina net after a Barbashev chance, but officials ruled the play dead before the puck crossed the line. The Golden Knights challenged, the call stood and Vegas was assessed a delay of game penalty.
Carolina turned that power play into the lead. Jordan Staal scored at 15:25, redirecting a setup from Shayne Gostisbehere and Andrei Svechnikov to put the Hurricanes ahead 3-2.
The sequence flipped the game. Vegas had led by two. Carolina had the lead. The building had the momentum.
Stone Forces Overtime
Vegas still found one more answer.
The Golden Knights went to the power play with 3:29 left after Jackson Blake was called for interference on Barbashev. Vegas did not score on the man advantage, finishing 0-for-4, but it kept pushing after the penalty expired.
With Hart pulled for the extra attacker, Stone scored his sixth goal of the postseason with 1:21 left. He knocked in the tying goal off assists from Marner and Hertl to make it 3-3.
The goal rescued Vegas after Carolina had scored three straight and pushed Game 2 to overtime.
Tortorella had said before the game that one of the Golden Knights’ best traits was simple.
“Don’t panic. Stay with it,” Tortorella said. “That’s a trait that can help a team.”
Vegas did that late in regulation.
Carolina did it in overtime.
Jarvis Wins It
Hertl was called for tripping at 3:17 of overtime, giving Carolina its fourth power play of the night.
The Hurricanes needed 39 seconds.
Jarvis scored at 3:56, with assists from Gostisbehere and Sebastian Aho, giving Carolina the 4-3 win and evening the Stanley Cup Final.
Carolina finished 2-for-4 on the power play. Vegas went 0-for-4.
The teams each finished with 26 shots. Hart stopped 22 of 26 for Vegas, while Andersen stopped 23 of 26 for Carolina.
Howden scored twice for the Golden Knights. Stone had the late tying goal. Marner had two assists.
For Carolina, Stankoven, Jankowski, Staal and Jarvis scored. Gostisbehere had two assists, both on Carolina power-play goals.
Series Heads to Vegas
The Golden Knights had a chance to take both games in Raleigh. Instead, the Hurricanes answered with a third-period comeback and an overtime power-play winner.
Vegas still earned a road split, but Game 2 will sting. The Golden Knights led 2-0 after two periods, had Howden chasing history and had Hart working on a shutout.
Carolina turned all of that around.
Now the series shifts to T-Mobile Arena tied 1-1, with Game 3 set for Saturday night in Las Vegas.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
