The Carolina Hurricanes were trailing the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final two games to one heading into Game 4.
Now they are up 3-2 after becoming the first team in the series to win two in a row. They are in position to clinch their first Stanley Cup title since 2006 if they win Game 6 in Las Vegas on Sunday, June 14.
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The Golden Knights will try to stave off elimination at home and force a Game 7 back in Raleigh, North Carolina. Coach John Tortorella vows that they will, even saying that he’s going to leave his clothes at the team’s Raleigh hotel.
Here is what happened to both teams in the last two games as the series turned around:
CAROLINA HURRICANES
Brandon Bussi took over the net
He replaced Frederik Andersen for the third period of Game 3 with the team down 4-0. He stopped a Mitch Marner penalty shot and allowed only a fluke goal in the second overtime after the Hurricanes rallied to tie the game in the third period.
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Bussi got the starts the past two games and was solid in Game 4 and even better in Game 5.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Bussi said after Thursday’s game. “You work hard, you enjoy the moment, then you put your head down and grind.”
Andersen − who needed a break, coach Rod Brind’Amour said, quoting goalie coach Paul Schonfelder − hasn’t dressed for either game and hasn’t practiced with the team. He did skate before players showed up for Thursday’s practice and is available, if needed, Brind’Amour said.
As an aside, the Hurricanes also made a goalie change during their 2006 championship run. It was much earlier as Cam Ward replaced Martin Gerber in the first round and went on to be voted playoff MVP.
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Jordan Staal is on fire
The 37-year-old Hurricanes captain is known for his faceoff prowess and defensive ability. But he has turned back the clock with his first five-game goal streak since he was a rookie in 2006-07. Doing it in the Stanley Cup Final puts his name alongside Hall of Famers Yvan Cournoyer, Jean Beliveau, Maurice Richard and Fred “Cyclone” Taylor.
Staal has the size and strength to be a scoring threat in front of the net − and now the goals are going in. He knocked in a rebound for his first goal of Game 4 then forced a turnover and scored while falling down on the second goal. His Game 5 goal was on a deflection.
Balanced scoring after first line comes through
The second line of Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake has been a constant throughout the playoffs. Staal took off in the Final. But top-line players Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho had been relatively quiet.
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That ended in Game 5. Svechnikov scored twice on the power play and Aho ended a five-game drought. Brind’Amour kept those two together and changed up the third person to get the line going.
They’re playing better defensively
Marner had a hat trick in Game 3 because he was getting behind the Hurricanes’ defense. Brind’Amour adjusted and Marner has one point in the last two games after getting seven in the first three games.
The Carolina coach didn’t like the way the team played in the first period of Game 5, but the Hurricanes were able to play their style for much of the rest of the game. They even outscored Vegas 2-0 in the second period after being outscored 9-1 in the first four games.
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VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Carter Hart’s play has dropped off
When a reporter asked whether John Tortorella considered inserting backup goalie Adin Hill in the third period of Game 5, the Golden Knights coach said it could be “the stupidest question I’ve ever heard.”
But Hart hasn’t been as strong in this round as he was in the first three rounds. He had a 2.22 goals-against average and .924 save percentage heading into the series. But he has given up four goals in every game in the Final and has an .856 save percentage in the series.
Golden Knights can’t control Staal
Tortorella usually doesn’t discuss players on the other team but he did mention Staal after Game 4, saying, “He’s killing us in front of the net.”
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The Golden Knights thought they had Staal tied up on his first goal in Game 4, but he got to a rebound. In Game 5, he checked Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb along the boards to create space to skate toward the front of the net and redirect a pass.
William Karlsson injury hurts
He left Game 5 and didn’t return after being checked by Sean Walker. The trainer was looking at his arm. Tortorella said the team “probably” will be without Karlsson, a two-way center who kills penalties and plays the power play. The Golden Knights had to juggle lines without him, hurting their ability to come back.
Penalty killing woes and penalty woes
The Hurricanes struggled in the first three rounds on the power play but have found their game. They use Staal at the start of a power play. If he wins the faceoff, he stays on the ice and provides a big body in front. If not, he goes off and the speedy Nikolaj Ehlers comes on.
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The Hurricanes have had two games in the Final in which they scored two power play goals. Golden Knights’ injuries contributed. McNabb left Game 2 after being hit by a puck, and Karlsson left in Game 5.
The Golden Knights didn’t help themselves with the number of penalties they took. They were called for back-to-back penalties in Game 5 and Carolina scored on the second one. The Hurricanes also scored on Vegas’ four-minute high-sticking penalty in the third period.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Hurricanes turned around Stanley Cup Final vs Golden Knights
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