High-scoring, history-making, lead-blowing hockey is on full display in the Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes. But is it among the greatest finals ever played?
“Everyone that texts me is saying it’s the best hockey they’ve ever watched,” Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. “It’s been fun to play. There’s a lot of momentum swings in the games, and I feel like it’s one of those series where you don’t know what’s going to happen.”
That unpredictability has made it must-see entertainment every night since the series began, which is reflected in this being the most-watched final in more than a decade. The teams are tied 2-2 going into Game 5 on Thursday night in Raleigh, and a Game 6 is guaranteed to have the Cup in the building Saturday night in Las Vegas.
A look at what has made this one of the best finals in recent history:
No lead is safe
In Game 1, Carolina led 2-0 a little over 12 minutes in, fell behind 3-2 and tied it again late before losing on Tomas Hertl's go-ahead goal with 3:24 left in the third period.
In Game 2, Vegas led 2-0 with less than 10 minutes left in regulation, before a flurry of four goals — and one that was called off — with Mark Stone tying it with 81 seconds remaining. With Hertl in the penalty box, Seth Jarvis scored in overtime to win it for the Hurricanes.
In Game 3, the Golden Knights led 4-0 in the third after Mitch Marner’s hat trick led to a Carolina goalie change. The Hurricanes scored four in a row to come all the way back, and then Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore's shot off the boards banked in off goaltender Brandon Bussi 5:38 into the second OT to end it.
In Game 4, Carolina led 2-0 and 3-1 only for Vegas to tie it again. Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal scored the go-ahead goal with 13:28 left on the way to evening the series.
This is the first final in NHL history to feature a multigoal comeback to tie the score in each of the first four games. Each of the first two were comeback wins, one shy of the most in a final: three games each in 1950 and '87.
Both teams scoring like crazy
So much for a defensive struggle. These teams came in allowing the fewest and third-fewest goals in the playoffs through the first three rounds. They have instead combined to score 33 through four games, the highest total since the New York Islanders and Minnesota North Stars had 36 in 1981.
There were at least four goals scored in each period from the second in Game 3 through the first in Game 4. It's just the second time that has happened three regulation periods in a row, and the first since the Islanders and Flyers during a span in Games 5 and 6 in 1980.
Vegas forward Brett Howden leads all goal-scorers this postseason with 14, breaking the franchise record set by Jonathan Marchessault on the way to winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP on the Golden Knights' 2023 Stanley Cup run.
Marner's natural hat trick — three goals in a row — came in a span of 6 minutes, 10 seconds. That is by far the fastest in a final, breaking Ted Lindsay's mark of 11 minutes, 27 seconds for Detroit in 1955.
The Hurricanes are the third team to score four-plus goals in each of the first games of the final after Montreal in 1973 and Boston in 1970. Their Game 3 breakout was the fastest three goals in the history of the final, coming in a span of 39 seconds.
Staal's gap between goals in the final — from June 9, 2009, with Pittsburgh, until Game 1 on June 2, a span of 6,202 days — broke brother Eric's record of 6,198 from ‘06-’23, according to Sportradar. Jordan is the first player since Mario Lemieux in 1992 to score five goals in the first four games of the final and first since Mike Bossy in '82 to score in each of the first four.
Games have been tight, and people are watching
This is just the third Cup final in which the score has been tied at some point in the third period in each of the first four games. It last happened between Chicago and Tampa Bay in 2015 and St. Louis and Montreal in 1968.
The first three games were all decided by a goal for just the 10th time. A n empty-netter by Nikolaj Ehlers in Game 4, a long-range clearance that was something of a highlight itself, was the only thing keeping it from being four in a row.
Despite these being teams in smaller, so-called nontraditional markets, the country is tuned in. The first three games are the most-watched final since the Blackhawks against the Lightning 11 years ago, with an average of 4.9 million viewers on ABC. ESPN/ABC said Game 3 was the most-watched in the final since Carolina-Detroit in 2002, with 5 million.
Let's not forget the goalies
This has not exactly been a goaltending series for the ages, though Vegas' Carter Hart and Carolina's Frederik Andersen and Bussi have each made some big-time saves.
Hart, Andersen and Bussi have a combined save percentage of .855, which is on pace to be the lowest in the final since the .850 in 1973 for the series between Montreal and Chicago. That is significantly lower than even the league average of .896 during the regular season that was the lowest since 1993-94.
Bussi in Game 4 became the third goalie to make his first NHL playoff start in the final and win it (Hank Bassen in 1961 and Alfie Moore in 1938).
With Andersen picking up the Game 2 victory, the Hurricanes are the first team since Edmonton in 1984 to have two goalies each win a start in the final. The only teams to win the Cup with multiple goaltenders starting and winning in the final are the ‘84 Oilers and ’72 Bruins.
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AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
