Jordan Staal scored for his fifth consecutive game, tying an NHL record, as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Thursday at Lenovo Center to take a 3-2 lead in the Stanley Cup Final. Game 6 is set for Sunday at 8 p.m. ET in Las Vegas.
Staal's Historic Streak
Staal tied the NHL record for the longest goal streak in a Cup Final, becoming the first player in over 50 years to achieve the feat. His sixth goal of the series came midway through the first period, tying the game at 1-1. The Carolina captain had only two goals in the first three rounds of the playoffs.
With the goal, Staal surged ahead of Vegas forward Mitch Marner as the leading candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy on various sports betting sites.
Key Performances
Andrei Svechnikov scored twice, including a power-play goal, and Sebastian Aho added a goal. Nikolaj Ehlers recorded three assists, and goaltender Brandon Bussi made 22 saves for the Hurricanes, who went 2-for-4 on the power play.
For the Golden Knights, Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice, Jack Eichel had two assists, and Carter Hart made 20 saves. Vegas has lost two straight and faces elimination at home.
Game Highlights
Eichel set up the opening goal at 6:52 of the first period with a perfect power-play entry, feeding Dorofeyev for a cross-slot tally. It was only Vegas's second power-play goal of the series (2-for-15).
Seth Jarvis intercepted an outlet pass, leading to Ehlers setting up Staal for the tying goal at 11:46. Svechnikov's quick wrister from the right circle beat Hart five-hole on a power play at 11:58 of the second period to give Carolina a 2-1 lead.
Aho extended the lead to 3-1 at 17:51, lifting a feed from Sean Walker over Hart's blocker. Svechnikov delivered the 4-1 dagger at 11:08 of the third period, tapping in a spinning pass from Ehlers on the power play. Dorofeyev cut the lead to 4-2 at 13:49, chipping in a rebound.
Hart Trophy Winner Announced
Before Game 5, the NHL announced that Tampa Bay Lightning center Nikita Kucherov won his second career Hart Memorial Trophy as regular season MVP. Kucherov had 130 points (44 goals, 86 assists) and a plus-43 rating in 76 games, joining Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin, and Sidney Crosby as multiple winners in the salary cap era.
