The Vegas Golden Knights spent Game 4 proving Brett Howden right.
They also spent too much of it proving why Nic Dowd’s pregame warning mattered.
Carolina jumped on Vegas early, watched the Golden Knights erase a two-goal deficit, then answered in the third period for a 5-3 win Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena. The Hurricanes tied the Stanley Cup Final 2-2, sending the series back to Carolina for Game 5 with at least one more game to come in Las Vegas.
Game 4 had another wild swing, another wiped-away Vegas goal and another record-setting moment from Howden. But unlike Game 3, when the Golden Knights survived Carolina’s comeback in double overtime, this time the Hurricanes had the final response.
Dowd said before the game that starts have been important for Vegas throughout the playoffs.
“Our starts have been important throughout the playoffs and especially down the stretch here,” Dowd said.
Carolina made that line look important almost immediately.
Carolina Jumps Vegas Early
The Hurricanes scored 1:06 into the game on a strange bounce behind the Vegas net. The puck came off the end boards, skipped back toward Carter Hart and hopped over his stick before Logan Stankoven punched it in. Jalen Chatfield and Jackson Blake assisted on the goal.
Carolina made it 2-0 at 3:28 when Blake scored off assists from Taylor Hall and Nikolaj Ehlers.
Vegas got one back at 7:22 when Mark Stone broke in alone, deked and beat Brandon Bussi past the left pad. Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb assisted, cutting Carolina’s lead to 2-1.
But the Golden Knights gave the momentum right back. Vegas was called for too many men on the ice, and Jordan Staal converted on the power play at 12:48. Shayne Gostisbehere and Sebastian Aho assisted on the goal, giving Carolina a 3-1 lead.
The Hurricanes outshot Vegas 14-6 in the first period.
Vegas appeared to get one back at the horn when McNabb put a puck in the net, but the goal was wiped away after review. It was the third time in two games the Golden Knights had a goal taken off the board after review.
Vegas Climbs Back
The Golden Knights were much better in the second period, even if the shot totals did not fully show it.
William Karlsson cut Carolina’s lead to 3-2 at 4:22 of the second, taking a slick feed from Rasmus Andersson and finishing through traffic. Mitch Marner picked up the secondary assist.
Vegas kept pushing, and Howden eventually tied it.
Howden scored at 17:08 of the second, taking a feed from Karlsson, pulling the puck through a toe drag and beating Bussi high to the glove side. Colton Sissons also assisted on the goal.
The goal was Howden’s 14th of the postseason, breaking Jonathan Marchessault’s 2023 franchise record for goals in a single playoff run.
Howden said before the game that the series had already shown how quickly momentum can swing.
“It’s been a very eventful few games so far,” Howden said. “It shows that a team is never out of it. You can never take your foot off the gas in any situation.”
Vegas erased Carolina’s early lead by the second intermission. But the Golden Knights never found the next goal.
Staal Answers for Carolina
Carolina retook the lead at 6:32 of the third when Staal scored his second of the game. Ehlers assisted on the goal, which came after a sloppy defensive sequence by Vegas.
The goal made it 4-3 and put the Golden Knights back in chase mode.
Vegas had chances. Jack Eichel nearly tied it on the power play, ripping a shot off the crossbar. Later, with Hart pulled, Eichel got a point-blank look off an offensive-zone faceoff, but his shot went high.
The Golden Knights pulled Hart with 1:59 left, but they could not find the equalizer. Ehlers scored into the empty net at 19:05 to seal it.
Carolina finished with a 28-20 shot advantage. The Hurricanes went 1-for-3 on the power play, while Vegas went 0-for-3.
Hart stopped 23 of 27 shots for Vegas. Bussi stopped 17 of 20 for Carolina.
Series Even
Staal scored twice for Carolina, including the game-winner. Stankoven, Blake and Ehlers also scored. Blake had a goal and an assist, while Ehlers had a goal and two assists.
Stone, Karlsson and Howden scored for Vegas. Karlsson had a goal and an assist, and Howden’s record-breaking goal gave the Golden Knights a chance after a rough first period.
The Golden Knights were good enough in stretches to come back. Their mistakes were big enough to cost them anyway.
Carolina owned the start. Vegas owned the pushback. Carolina owned the finish.
Now the Stanley Cup Final is tied 2-2, and Game 5 is set for Thursday night in Carolina.
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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.
