Hurricanes move – Andrei Svechnikov scored twice and Sebastian Aho added a second-period goal as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 Thursday night to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final. Carolina can win the Cup for the first time since
RALEIGH, N.C. — Andrei Svechnikov’s second goal didn’t just change the momentum. It put the Carolina Hurricanes firmly within reach.
Svechnikov scored twice and Sebastian Aho added a second-period goal as the Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Thursday night, moving to within one victory of the Stanley Cup.
Carolina’s offense came from the top line at the moment it mattered most, and the timing stood out in a series filled with swings. The Hurricanes survived multiple playoff hiccups, including a shaky power play and stretches where they were outplayed in the second period.
Those issues didn’t vanish—they just didn’t decide the night.
Game 5 looked like it might tip back and forth, until the Hurricanes found a breakthrough midway through the third period. Svechnikov recorded a short putaway at the post on the power play to give Carolina a 4-1 lead. It was a lead that, unlike many multi-goal advantages in a series already defined by volatility, held up.
Brandon Bussi finished with 22 saves in his second career postseason start. The performance helped Carolina turn a breakout into something durable, leaving the Golden Knights unable to fully respond as the clock ran out.
The Hurricanes now lead the best-of-seven series 3-2. Game 6 is Sunday night in Las Vegas, with Carolina playing for the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time since coach Rod Brind’Amour captained them to the title in 2006.
Vegas did get offense. Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice for the Golden Knights, finding the net for the first time since Game 1 of the Western Conference Final sweep of Presidents’ Trophy winner Colorado.
On the other end, Carter Hart entered the game with a brutal piece of history already attached to him in Stanley Cup Final play. In his first four games, he had given up at least four goals each time—then did it again Thursday night. Hart finished with 20 saves.
Vegas has been here before in this postseason, too. The Golden Knights were in a 2-2 series twice earlier—first against Utah in the first round, and then against Anaheim in the second round. In both cases, they won Game 5 and closed out the series in Game 6.
This time, Carolina isn’t offering the same script.
The tension at the start of the game carried into the middle. Vegas played much of the night without center William Karlsson. He was being checked out on the bench for an apparent upper-body injury, skated to the tunnel midway through the second period, and didn’t return.
Now the Golden Knights are facing the steepest task: they’ll have to win on home ice to force the series back to Carolina for a Game 7 on Wednesday night. And they’ll need to do it against a Hurricanes team that hasn’t suffered consecutive losses since mid-January.
Carolina Hurricanes Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup Final Andrei Svechnikov Sebastian Aho Jordan Staal Brandon Bussi Carter Hart Game 6 William Karlsson Rod Brind'Amour