"First Blood is Drawn": 2025-26 Postseason Round 4, Game 1: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Vegas Golden Knights

The moment has finally arrived for the Carolina Hurricanes. After 20 years and numerous frustrations, they'll begin their quest for the Stanley Cup on Tuesday night. Very little has gone wrong during the Canes' run to the fourth round. They've lost one game through the first three rounds, making it look way easier than it probably has been. That won't be the case in the Stanley Cup Final. The Vegas Golden Knights might've lost more games than they won during the regular season, but they've looked like a juggernaut since John Tortorella took over with eight games remaining in the regular season. They have the high-end skill to give the Canes fits. This series won't be for the faint of heart, though I have no doubt that the Lenovo Center will be absolutely rocking for tonight's opener.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (0:25)- Nikolaj Ehlers (5) (Jaccob Slavin (3) & Jalen Chatfield (5))

CAR (12:08)- Nikolaj Ehlers (6) (Jalen Chatfield (6))

VGK (13:28)- Shea Theodore (5) (Brayden McNabb (4) & Cole Smith (3))

2nd Period

VGK (0:30)- Ivan Barbashev (6) (Jack Eichel (17) & Brayden McNabb (5))

VGK (4:35)- William Karlsson (2) (Mitch Marner (15) & Brett Howden (3))

CAR (12:42)- Jordan Staal (3) (K'Andre Miller (9))

3rd Period

VGK (1:21)- Brett Howden (11) (Shea Theodore (8) & Brayden McNabb (6))

CAR (11:19)- Shayne Gostisbehere (3) (unassisted)

VGK (16:36)- Tomas Hertl (4) (Colton Sissons (5) & Shea Theodore (9))

My Thoughts

When you talk about setting the tone for a game, it's hard to set it as well as Nikolaj Ehlers did tonight. He needed 25 seconds to send the building into a frenzy, making Shea Theodore look silly to take an early lead. Then, he added another on a breakaway after Jack Eichel made a bad pass. If only the rest of the night could've been like this. Instead, the Canes reverted to some of the bad tendencies that cost them Game 1 against Montreal in the conference finals. The first Vegas goal was a bad break, but the next two were bad defensive-zone coverages that ended up in the back of the net. An exhilarating start was ruined. No matter how much the Canes worked to claw back, the Golden Knights found an answer until, eventually, they found the winning goal. Still, we'll always have the first 12:08 of this game to remember fondly.

I wasn't expecting this to be the cleanest goaltending series in the world, but Frederik Andersen and Carter Hart, who'd both been excellent this postseason to this point, didn't look great tonight. Hart was beaten by cleaner looks than Andersen was, but Andersen didn't do himself many favors, either. You probably need a stop on Ivan Barbashev's goal 30 seconds into the second period. Otherwise, I have a harder time nitpicking the goals that he allowed. Even in a loss, I feel a little better about what the Hurricanes were able to do against Vegas' defense and Hart offensively. It's only one game, so I'm not going to pretend that the series is close to finished yet. There were still many things to be happy about. Unfortunately, goaltending was not one of them.

I'm going to say something that might sound crazy. For the top two point producers in the league this postseason, I didn't think Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner were that noticeable. Yes, they both recorded assists in the second period. However, I remember the first period ending and thinking, "I don't think I heard Marner's name said one time while there was action on the ice." That being said, they impacted the game positively more than the Canes' top line did. Once again, the top trio was left off the scoresheet, which is becoming a little too familiar a feeling. The Canes won't win this series without Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov finding a way to contribute consistently. The Stankoven line can't be relied on to be the top-producing line again. The top line has to be better. End of story.

Like I said, I'm not closing the book on this series after one game. The Canes could've won that game. Obviously, they did not. I liked how they moved the puck in the offensive zone for most of the night. They were the more dangerous team in transition. They also hit a post, with Jaccob Slavin ringing the crossbar shortly after Ehlers' first goal. How different could this game have been if that puck had gone into the net? The Canes no longer hold home ice advantage after Vegas won the opening game on the road. The best thing they can do now is to regroup and come back in Game 2 hungry to even the series. I have faith that they can get that done.

First Star of the Game: Nikolaj Ehlers

Nikolaj Ehlers was shot out of a cannon to begin the Stanley Cup Final. He scored the third-fastest opening goal to get it rolling, and we were on Hat Trick Watch within the first 12:08 of the game. Unfortunately, things quieted down after that, but it was still a very impactful start to the Final for Ehlers and his line.

Next Up: Game 2 will be played at the Lenovo Center on Thursday night. After that, Vegas hosts the next two games on Saturday and Tuesday. It's worth mentioning that the Canes are yet to lose on the road this postseason, opening 6-0 through three rounds. If the Canes win at least once in the next three games, the series heads back to Raleigh for a fifth game next week.