The Vegas Golden Knights just stole home ice in Raleigh. Tomas Hertl‘s late strike sank the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in the golden knights vs hurricanes opener on Tuesday.
Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final now leans West, and the odds just flipped.
| KEY TAKEAWAYS Vegas won 5-4 on Hertl’s goal with 3:24 left, grabbing a 1-0 series lead.Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice in the first period before Carolina coughed up two leads.Game 2 is Thursday, June 4 at Lenovo Center (8 p.m. ET, ABC). |
What was the final score?
Carolina raced to a 2-0 lead, then could not hold it.
Here is how the scoring by period unfolded.
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
How did all nine goals fall?
Nine goals, two lead changes, and no safe moment for either bench.
Ivan Barbashev even made history, scoring inside 30 seconds of both the first and second periods.
The full Game 1 box score sits below.
| Per. | Time | Team | Goal scorer | Assist | Score (VGK-CAR) |
| 1st | 0:25 | CAR | Nikolaj Ehlers | Jaccob Slavin | 0-1 |
| 1st | 12:08 | CAR | Nikolaj Ehlers | Jalen Chatfield | 0-2 |
| 1st | 13:28 | VGK | Shea Theodore | Not listed | 1-2 |
| 2nd | 0:30 | VGK | Ivan Barbashev | Jack Eichel | 2-2 |
| 2nd | 4:35 | VGK | William Karlsson | Mitch Marner | 3-2 |
| 2nd | 12:42 | CAR | Jordan Staal | Not listed | 3-3 |
| 3rd | 1:21 | VGK | Brett Howden | Shea Theodore | 4-3 |
| 3rd | 11:19 | CAR | Shayne Gostisbehere | Unassisted | 4-4 |
| 3rd | 16:36 | VGK | Tomas Hertl (GWG) | Colton Sissons | 5-4 |
Who were the top performers?
Shea Theodore (1 goal, 2 assists) and Brayden McNabb (3 assists) led Vegas with three points each.
For the latest postseason stat leaders, check the table below.
| Player | Team | G | A | Pts |
| Shea Theodore | Vegas | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Brayden McNabb | Vegas | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | Carolina | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Tomas Hertl | Vegas | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ivan Barbashev | Vegas | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| William Karlsson | Vegas | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Brett Howden | Vegas | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Jordan Staal | Carolina | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | Carolina | 1 | 0 | 1 |
How did the goalies hold up?
Carter Hart stopped 23 of 27 shots for the win.
Frederik Andersen made 18 saves but allowed five on 23 shots.
Their goaltending in this Stanley Cup Final will decide plenty.
| Goalie | Team | Saves | Shots | GA | Save % |
| Carter Hart | Vegas | 23 | 27 | 4 | .852 |
| Frederik Andersen | Carolina | 18 | 23 | 5 | .783 |
Vegas vs Carolina: by the numbers
We tracked the headline stats from Game 1 side by side.
| Stat | Vegas | Carolina |
| Goals | 5 | 4 |
| Shots on goal | 23 | 27 |
| Hits | 35 | 26 |
| Goalie saves | 23 | 18 |
| Result | Win (1-0 lead) | Loss (0-1) |
What does the series schedule look like?
Vegas hosts the middle games, but Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 run through Lenovo Center.
See the full 2026 Stanley Cup Final schedule here.
| Game | Date | Site | Time (ET) | TV | Result |
| 1 | Tue, June 2 | Carolina | Final | ABC | Vegas 5, Carolina 4 |
| 2 | Thu, June 4 | Carolina | 8 p.m. | ABC | TBD |
| 3 | Sat, June 6 | Vegas | 8 p.m. | ABC | TBD |
| 4 | Tue, June 9 | Vegas | 8 p.m. | ABC | TBD |
| 5* | Thu, June 11 | Carolina | 8 p.m. | ABC | TBD |
| 6* | Sun, June 14 | Vegas | 8 p.m. | ABC | TBD |
| 7* | Wed, June 17 | Carolina | 8 p.m. | ABC | TBD |
What does Game 1 mean for the Cup Final?
History favors the front-runner here.
Teams that win Game 1 of a best-of-seven Cup Final win the series 75.6% of the time.
Still, Rod Brind’Amour’s Hurricanes erased a Game 1 loss in the Eastern final, so this is far from over.
Our read mirrors the series preview from CBS Sports, and our own Knicks vs Pacers breakdown showed how fast momentum turns.
What should we watch in Game 2?
Carolina has bounced back from a Game 1 loss before, rallying past Montreal in the East final.
Frederik Andersen will look to settle after an uneven 18-save night.
Expect a tighter, lower-scoring rematch on Thursday.
Fast facts you can use
A few numbers from our notebook on the latest NHL playoffs coverage:
- Ehlers’ opener came just 25 seconds in, the fastest Game 1 goal since 1976.
- Tomas Hertl’s winner was his fourth goal of the 2026 playoffs.
- It is Carolina’s first Stanley Cup Final since its 2006 title.
- Vegas reached its third Final in nine seasons and chases a second Cup in four years.
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Sources: NHL.com, ESPN, CBS Sports, Hockey-Reference, and the Associated Press. Stats are official Game 1 totals from June 2, 2026.