Vegas Golden Knights forward Tomas Hertl scored the game-winning goal against the Carolina Hurricanes with 3:24 remaining in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday in Raleigh, N.C. File Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo
June 2 (UPI) -- Lenova Center quivered with intensity as fans watched the visiting Vegas Golden Knights climb back from a 2-0 deficit to stun the Carolina Hurricanes in a frantic 2026 Stanley Cup Final opener Tuesday in Raleigh, N.C.
Czech forward Tomas Hertl scored what proved to be the game-winner with 3:24 remaining in the 5-4 triumph. Brayden McNabb assisted three Golden Knights goals. Fellow Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore logged a goal and two assists.
"We didn't have the greatest start, but that's kinda been our story all season," Hertl said on the ABC broadcast. "We never give up. It doesn't matter if we are up or down. We just keeping playing."
Tuesday marked the first time in history that a Stanley Cup Final game featured goals within the first 30 seconds in each of the first two periods. The Hurricanes outshot the Golden Knights 27-23, but were outhit 35-26.
