Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final was a game of runs. However, the Vegas Golden Knights were able to outlast the Carolina Hurricanes for a wild 5-4 victory in the first game of the final.
Tomas Hertl tallied at 16 minutes, 36 seconds of the third period to give the Golden Knights home ice advantage in the series. Brayden McNabb dished out three assists and Shea Theodore collected a goal and two assists. Carter Hart made 23 saves in between the pipes for Vegas.
Shayne Gostisbehere tied the game in the third period to give the Canes some hope. He also had a chance with less than 30 seconds left in regulation, but Hart snuffed that out. Frederik Andersen stopped 18 saves for the Hurricanes.
Stanley Cup Final Game 1 Recap
Opening Salvos
Hockey is a blink and you’ll miss it sport. All three periods had goals happen with the first 90 seconds of the start of the period. Carolina opened the scoring 25 seconds into the game after Ehlers tallied. However, Vegas would get the goals to start the second and third periods.
Ivan Barbashev snapped home a shot just 30 seconds into the second period to tie the game at two. Brett Howden‘s goal with one minute, 21 seconds into the third period gave the Golden Knights a shot at the winning margin.
Carolina has gotten goals to start off period plenty of times in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, the Hurricanes were the ones on the other end of these early-period goals. These goals at the start of periods shifted the momentum and turned the game on its head. The Canes had gotten the game on level terms before the end of the second period. However, the Howden goal seemingly killed off any momentum before Gostisbehere’s goal came out of nowhere.
(Credit Image: © David Santiago/Miami Herald via ZUMA Press Wire)
One Great Dane Steps Up Early
Carolina has a pair of Danish players that have guided the team to the Stanley Cup Final. Andersen’s play has been a main reason the Canes made the Final for the first time since 2006. However, it was Ehlers that stole the spotlight in the opening frame.
Ehlers became the first player to score two goals in the first period of a Game 1 since Al MacInnis did so for the Calgary Flames in the 1989 Stanley Cup Final versus the Montreal Canadiens. As mentioned before, the first goal came with 25 seconds into the first period and then followed it up nearly 12 minutes later for Carolina.
Ehlers played great in this game, but his countryman is going to have to step up if the Hurricanes want to send the series back to Sin City at one game apiece. However, Andersen did bounce back after a shaky Game 1 against the Habs.
Tighten Up
Both teams are known for playing defensive hockey and making smart decisions with the puck. These two clubs are great at limiting scoring opportunities and suffocating pressure.
Imagine the surprise of seeing nine goals in the opening game between two of the team’s best defensive teams in the league. Some thought the opening game would have a feeling out process between the two clubs. However, the two clubs didn’t take long to get into the scoring groove.
Betting sites often listed 5.5 or 6.5 as the base number for over/under wagers. However, that was shattered late in second period or early in the third period. Things may tighten up as we get deeper into the series. However, this was an exciting start to a Stanley Cup Final series that some thought would be lacking in the offensive department.
Game 2 is set for 8 p.m. Thursday night at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. Let’s hope Game 2 is as exciting as Stanley Cup Final Game 1.
Maon photo by: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
