Carolina Vegas Game 4 is in the books. The Stanley Cup Final is in full swing as the series is tied at two games apiece after the Carolina Hurricanes won Game 4 by a score of 5-3. There was no shortage of excitement even prior to the game, as the mystery of which goalie would start for Carolina was the big story coming into the game. Brandon Bussi would start, but the greater surprise was that Frederik Andersen was a scratch, meaning that Pyotr Kochetkov was the backup.
Carolina Vegas Game 4 Featured Goals Galore, Like the Previous Three Games
Canes Continued Their First Period Mastery
The Canes came out flying and exacted some revenge with a goal that ricocheted off the backboards onto Logan Stankoven’s stick at 1:06 for the opening goal. Coming into this game, the Hurricanes were 9-0 when Stankoven scored a goal. Brandon Bussi got into the game early with a stop off a shorthanded opportunity from Vegas. After the power play expired, Jackson Blake chipped in with a goal off a tape-to-tape pass from Taylor Hall to make it 2-0.
Vegas Golden Knights and the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas..Manny Flores/Cal Sport Media
The Golden Knights continued to find a way to get breakaways often in this series, with Mark Stone capitalizing on one at 7:22 off a sweet pass from Shea Theodore. A costly too-many-men penalty from Vegas resulted in a Jordan Staal power play goal at 12:48. Staal has scored in all four Stanley Cup Final games. As the clock hit zero on the first period, Brayden McNabb looked like he might have gotten a buzzer beater, but it was not meant to be. The score was 3-1 Carolina after 20 minutes.
JORDAN STAAL STAYS HOT!!!
HE HAS FOUR GOALS IN FOUR STANLEY CUP FINAL GAMES 🤯 pic.twitter.com/6oOlCebbd1
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 10, 2026
A Typical Vegas Second Period Sees the Game Tied
The Golden Knights started the second period strongly as Mitch Marner busted through the neutral zone, which eventually led to a goal by William Karlsson to cut the Carolina lead to 3-2 at 4:22. The defence looked to have tightened up as the period went along, until Brett Howden potted his 14th of the playoffs to tie the game at three at 17:08. Was it really even a surprise that a two-goal lead would be blown? This series has been insane on that front. No lead is safe.
HOWDEN HAS ANOTHER FOR VEGAS 🚨
GAME 4 IS TIED 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/Sjer0KH6BQ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 10, 2026
Canes Captain Delivers An Iconic Goal to Tie Up Series
Carolina kept pushing as captain Jordan Staal potted his second of the game, on his stomach. That was a bonkers goal that could become iconic in Hurricanes history. Shea Theodore could not believe it, nor could the hockey world. Tight defence shaped the rest of the period as Carolina was desperate to tie this series up, going back to Vegas. That would prove successful as Carolina was able to hold on to their lead, something that has been extremely elusive for them in this final. Talk about locking it down at the right time.
JORDAN FREAKING STAAL!!!
THE CANES TAKE THE LEAD IN GAME 4 💥 pic.twitter.com/N9w3M5bw4D
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 10, 2026
Hurricanes Need to Buckle Down After the First Period
It is quite surprising how many Grade-A opportunities the Hurricanes have given up. For a team that has been as elite defensively for so many years as they have, they have been exposed more often than expected. Carolina needs to buckle down in the second period, even though they have done a great job at the start of most games.
Looking Ahead
There will be little rest for the weary as Game 5 will be at the Lenovo Center in Carolina on Thursday, June 11th at 8:00 p.m Eastern Daylight Time. With the series tied, this is now a best-of-three. Both teams have at least one more home game on the quest for the holy grail that is the Stanley Cup. Who will make themselves a hero in this final stretch? Time will tell, as the final continues on Thursday. Stay tuned.
Main Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
