RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Tomas Hertl joined the Vegas Golden Knights in a trade in March 2024 when they were defending champions, fortifying a group that had just won the Stanley Cup and expected to contend perennially with an elite forward in his prime.He had just one point in the playoffs that spring, a first-round exit, then just five last year in a second-round loss. It was “here we go again” when Hertl languished in the final 20 games of the regular season without a goal, a stretch that reached 29 before he ended it against Anaheim on May 10.That two-month drought now feels like ancient history, especially after Hertl was the hero in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night, scoring the go-ahead goal with under four minutes left to beat Carolina and take the lead in the series. It’s his second winning goal in three games, and the scoring touch is back at just the right time for the Golden Knights.
“I haven’t coached him for long, and a lot of those games weren’t that good,” coach John Tortorella said. “I think he’s grown. He never stopped working. I thought there were some major struggles in his game, but he never stopped working at his game. It’s just great timing, just to try to balance our lineup. He has given us some very important minutes.”
