Hurricanes evens – Carolina scored three goals in the final ten minutes of regulation to beat the Vegas Golden Knights and even the Stanley Cup Final series. The win extended a remarkable playoff start—13 postseason victories in their first 15 games—tying the most such wins by a
The ice felt like it tilted the moment Carolina’s comeback took hold. In the Stanley Cup Final, the Hurricanes scored three goals in the final ten minutes of regulation to beat the Vegas Golden Knights and even the series.
The way it happened mattered. Not just because it leveled the fight for the championship. but because the Hurricanes were stacking history while they did it. With the victory, Carolina recorded its 13th postseason win this year. That total is tied for the most wins by any team in its first 15 games to begin a postseason—matching the 2022 Avalanche. the 2012 Kings. the 1988 Oilers. the 1987 Oilers and the 1981 Islanders.
Carolina’s run leading into the final was already loaded with momentum. The Hurricanes swept the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, eliminating the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers. After that, they lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, then responded with four straight wins over the Montreal Canadiens. In the Stanley Cup Final itself, Carolina lost Game 1, then turned it around in Game 2 with the dramatic regulation surge.
The personal weight behind this kind of turnaround is hard to measure on a stat sheet. But there’s a clear pattern attached to it, one Hurricanes fans can lean on as they head back on the road. The prior five teams to have won 13 of their first 15 playoff games have gone on to lift the Cup.
Carolina’s own rivals in that comparison include teams that looked unstoppable before the finish got complicated. The 2022 Colorado Avalanche swept two of the first three rounds. then won the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final before losing Game 16 of the playoffs to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 2012 Los Angeles Kings would win 14 of their first 16 games after nearly sweeping the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Final. but fell in Games 4 and 5 before finishing the series.
The list also includes the kind of dominance that changes what people expect from a playoff run. The 1988 Edmonton Oilers lost games in the first round and the Campbell Conference Finals before sweeping the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final. That stretch included going 16-2 in the playoffs. The Islanders, meanwhile, swept a best-of-five series in the first round before winning eight of the next ten games. They also nearly swept the Minnesota North Stars in the Cup Finals—losing Game 4 before winning the series in five games.
Jordan Stall credited the fans for the victory in Game 2. Now the Hurricanes hit the road for Game 3 on Saturday, with puck drop at 8 pm ET.
Carolina has evened the Stanley Cup Final series with the Vegas Golden Knights after a historic comeback that produced three goals in the final ten minutes of regulation—while also adding more postseason history to a start that already belongs in the record books.
Carolina Hurricanes Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup Final Game 2 playoff record Jordan Stall ESPN Insights Game 3 NHL playoffs