2026 NHL Stanley Cup Final: 5 Takeaways From Hurricanes-Golden Knights Game 1

RALEIGH -- After an epic, back-and-forth affair between the two best teams in the NHL, the Hurricanes took one too many breathers as they dropped Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final 5-4 to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Shayne Gostisbehere tied it up for the Canes late in the third, and the team found some life, but Gostisbehere was at fault a few minutes later, losing his man in front of the net as Tomas Hertl netted the game-winner with 3:24 left in regulation.

This was Vegas' seventh straight playoff win as the team keeps picking up steam under new head coach John Tortorella. Meanwhile, this is just the second loss of the entire postseason for the dominant Hurricanes.

Have the Canes finally met their match in a red-hot, highly skilled Golden Knights team, or will they punch back in Game 2 like they did after their only other loss of the playoffs -- Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final?

Here are the biggest takeaways from Vegas' 5-4, Game 1 win on the road.

Torts Helps Vegas Weather Hurricanes Early Storm

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John Tortorella's fingerprints were all over Vegas' comeback early in the second period, and although the Canes would tie the game up several more times, they never regained the lead after that Golden Knights push. Vegas emerged from the locker room much sharper than its first-period performance, shifting the ice in its favor with all the pressure and structure the Canes had in the first.

From there, the shots and shot attempts had pretty much evened, and the Golden Knights were free to play their game -- the one that forces the opponent to err as Vegas cashes in on almost every error.

"That was the game, right?," Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour said postgame. "We made too many mistakes under that pressure...those are the mistakes you just don't make, and we made too many of them tonight."

The Golden Knights came out for the second ready to kill the Hurricanes' momentum, and they did exactly that to even the score after a slow start. Tortorella made the necessary micro-adjustments to apply more pressure on a relentless Canes team, and it worked.

As the teams went tit-for-tat and goal-for-goal, the Golden Knights made fewer mistakes and took fewer breaths.

This is why you hire Torts ahead of your playoff run. He knew exactly how to motivate the team, plus he knew what adjustments to make for a better start to the second. It's the reason Vegas stayed in this thing after early troubles and held on for the late lead.

Twelve of Vegas' 20 wins under Tortorella have been comebacks, and this win could be the most quintessential iteration of his impact.

Tomáš Hertl Comes Up Clutch Late

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The Golden Knights and Hurricanes are two teams known for finding success via relentless pursuit of the trade market.

Remember that blockbuster that sent Hertl to the Golden Knights for David Edstrom (Vegas's 2023 first-round draft choice) and a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft?

Yup, file that under "another one of Vegas' win-now moves that absolutely paid off.

Hertl, who has the drive and the fire as he is chasing his first Stanley Cup in an otherwise illustrious decade-plus career, has chipped in four goals and 10 points in 17 games on this Golden Knights playoff run.

Perhaps a younger or more Cup-spoiled player takes a breather and lets this game go to overtime after Gostisbehere's late equalizer. Not Hertl, who has been dreaming of the moment that is now in reach.

A well-rounded team with young, veteran, and peaking players alike matters in the Cup Final. Hertl has that veteran presence combined with the desperation to win a Cup before it's too late. It was the difference in Game 1.

Nikolaj Ehlers Was a Free-Agent Bargain

The Hurricanes signed Nikolaj Ehlers last off-season on their never-ending quest for the right depth scorers. Departing from the Jets, he was one of the most coveted wingers on the free agent market, and he ultimately signed a six-year contract at an $8.5 million cap hit with the Canes.

He had his highs and lows in the regular season, but regular-season scoring was never this team's issue. He acclimated to his new role in the regular season, and now he's providing playoff scoring that makes his salary look like a bargain.

Ehlers has absolutely risen to the moment this postseason with six crucial goals in 14 games. His first goal of Game 1 came 25 seconds in, becoming the third-fastest Stanley Cup final-opening goal in history.

His second goal of the period would prove important as Vegas cut the score to 2-1 later in the period off a deflection, and later stole the lead in the second.

Ehlers factored in once again as the Hurricanes lost their lead, then tied it back up in the second. He provided the net-front screen that captain Jordan Staal would use for the equalizer with less than eight minutes left in the period. 

His presence has been felt these playoffs, and especially in the first game of the Final. It wasn't enough for the Hurricanes to pull off the win -- they'll need some more contributions from their first line, and fewer errors all around -- for that. But the Canes have a gem in Ehlers and his contract.

Where is the Canes' First Line?

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Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov

The shortcomings of the Hurricanes' first line this postseason have been masked by prolific depth, elite goaltending, and that 12-2 record. But the struggles of Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Seth Jarvis were on display in Game 1.

Not only did they fail to score in a high-scoring game, but they looked disjointed as a whole, with tons of missed passes and broken plays that we just can't ignore anymore.

"They had one good shift in the third there, but," Brind'Amour said, attempting to choose his words wisely. "They gotta, I mean, everyone has to play well if you want to win this time of year. It's as simple as that. Your best guys gotta get on the scoresheet. That's going to have to happen if we want to get where we want to be."

Five Hurricanes players have more overall points than the first line, and four have more goals

The Aho line had zero points Tuesday night in a 5-4 game. Aho and Svechnikov had one shot apiece, and Jarvis had three.

Their problems extend to the power play, in which the Canes went 0-for-2 tonight.

Your best players have to be your best players at some point, and the Canes can't let a two-goal performance from a depth scorer go to waste again if they're to win the Stanley Cup.

Strap Yourselves In, We're In for a Fun Series

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The back-and-forth and momentum-shifting between these two teams proved at least one thing in Game 1: This is going to be a wildly entertaining Stanley Cup Final.

There were several lead changes throughout the game. Just when it looked like the Golden Knights were going to run away with this one after taking the lead early in the third, Shayne Gostisbehere's third goal of the playoffs arrived with less than half of the period to go.

While the Canes and the Golden Knights traded convincing, long spurts of zone time, neither team fully took over in a way that took the opponent out of it.

This was a high-scoring, high-event, loud-as-heck Game 1. Drama, skill, and pressure were palpable in every shift.

"Listen, you've got to give them credit," Brind'Amour said of Vegas. "That's a great team...This is a totally different team (than any team we've faced these playoffs). We've got to get up to speed on how this series is going to go, and we've certainly got a taste of that now."

This Stanley Cup Final is about two great teams trying to make the fewest mistakes possible. The winner of each game will be the team that makes the fewest mistakes.

In Game 1, that was Vegas.