Hurricanes Even Series With Wild 5-3 Game 4 Win

Brandon Bussi started in net for the first time in the series as the Carolina Hurricanes evened the Stanley Cup Final at two games apiece with a 5-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4.

First-Period Power-Play Dominance

Logan Stankoven scored just 60 seconds into the game after Carter Hart muffed a puck behind the net, giving Carolina a 1-0 lead before many fans had settled into their seats. Shea Theodore’s tripping penalty followed immediately, sending the Hurricanes to the power play where Jackson Blake converted a feed from Taylor Hall for a 2-0 advantage. Carolina outshot Vegas 14-7 in the opening frame while controlling territorial play for the third straight contest in the series.

Mark Stone cut the deficit to 2-1 seven minutes into the period on a shorthanded-style rush created by Shea Theodore’s stretch pass, but the Knights could not sustain momentum. Jordan Staal restored the two-goal cushion at 3-1 when he buried a rebound from Shayne Gostisbehere’s point shot during another Carolina power play created by a too-many-men infraction. The period ended with a disallowed Brayden McNabb goal after the clock had expired, preserving the 3-1 margin.

Carolina’s early special-teams efficiency created a 2-0 lead before Vegas managed a single even-strength goal, a pattern repeated from Games 1 and 3. Frederik Andersen sat as a healthy scratch while Bussi faced 28 shots overall, including several high-danger chances from the Knights’ top line.

Second-Period Rally and Defensive Stand

William Karlsson pulled Vegas within one early in the middle frame on a pass from Rasmus Andersson, then Brett Howden tied the game at 3-3 with a screened wrister that beat Bussi. Vegas generated 12 shots in the period while Carolina managed only six, reversing the territorial edge completely. Jack Eichel later rang a shot off the crossbar in the third, but Bussi remained perfect after the second-period damage.

The Knights’ second-period surge exposed Carolina’s recurring vulnerability when the Canes allow extended shifts without clearing the zone. Despite the tie, Bussi’s positioning on the Howden goal kept the deficit from growing further, setting up the third-period heroics.

Third-Period Chaos and Empty-Net Seal

Seth Jarvis was robbed by Hart on a breakaway, yet the play continued with four Vegas skaters chasing the puck carrier while Jordan Staal found himself alone in front. Nikolaj Ehlers delivered a pass to the falling captain, who backhanded the puck past Hart for a 4-3 lead at 4:12 of the third. Vegas pulled Hart with two minutes remaining but managed no equalizer before Ehlers banked an empty-net goal from his own defensive zone with 54 seconds left.

The sequence illustrated how broken plays and secondary chances have decided multiple games in the series. Carolina finished with five goals on 31 shots while Vegas recorded three on 29 attempts, according to the official game summary reported by The Hockey News.

The 5-3 result returns the series to even terms and shifts focus to whether the Hurricanes can replicate their first-period starts in the remaining games.