06/05/26 05:27:00
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06/05 17:26 CDT Vegas-Carolina Stanley Cup Final is 'a new series' going into
Game 3 after Canes' comeback
Vegas-Carolina Stanley Cup Final is 'a new series' going into Game 3 after
Canes' comeback
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Hockey Writer
Before the Carolina Hurricanes made their comeback, before the Vegas Golden
Knights needed a goal with 81 seconds left in regulation to tie it and before
Seth Jarvis scored in overtime, the sound of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final
was silence.
The same crowd that roared at the start of the series was stunned, with their
beloved Hurricanes shut out through the first two periods for the first time
since mid-January. They were fewer than 15 minutes away from a 2-0 hole that
only five of 55 teams have overcome to hoist the Cup.
The topsy-turvy ride that followed ended with Carolina winning in emotional
fashion and making this a competitive series between two of the best teams in
the NHL. Game 3 is Saturday night in Las Vegas.
If it is anything like the first two, it is best to expect the unexpected the
rest of the way.
"It's obviously a new series, a five-game series now," said defenseman Shayne
Gostisbehere, who leads the Hurricanes with three points so far in the final.
"A lot of emotions throughout the games, too. For almost 50 minutes there it's
kind of low, and then kind of even, then really high, then low again, and then
high. It's a roller coaster for sure."
This final is shaping up to be more like a seesaw, with wild momentum swings
back and forth. This is the first Cup final in league history in which each of
the first two games featured a multigoal comeback victory.
Carolina is now the first team in 82 years to win a game in the final when down
by more than one goal within the final 10 minutes of regulation. That would
also make Vegas --- which fell behind by two goals in the opener --- the first
team since 1944 to blow such a lead.
"The sport of hockey is funny that way," Golden Knights center William Karlsson
said Friday. "I think that's why we all love it. It can go either way at any
times .... But it's hockey. It's a game of mistakes, and it's bound to happen."
The Hurricanes after cruising through the first three rounds with 12 wins and
just one loss met their match in Vegas, and that was evident in Game 1. What
also became clear is that neither of team is going to get pushed around for an
entire night, even if there are stretches of domination by one side or the
other.
"It's going to be hard to play your best game --- that's the point," Carolina
coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "It would be great if you could do it for the whole
60 minutes. But it's probably not going to be that way because they're a very,
very good team."
Counterpart John Tortorella emphasized that again before he and his team flew
home, insisting he likes where Vegas is at two games into its biggest challenge
yet this postseason. The Golden Knights have stolen home-ice advantage and get
to play the next two on The Strip, where Tortorella can better control matchups.
"There's no difference," Tortorella said. "We're going to play. We know how to
play. We know how we want to play."
So do the Hurricanes, and it's what they displayed at the end of Game 2. Logan
Stankoven provided the spark, Mark Jankowski kept it going and Jordan Staal
scored on a power play after Tortorella's failed goaltender interference
challenge became a difference-making moment.
Of course, the Golden Knights dominating for much of the first two periods and
the start of the third showed why they've been such a buzzsaw since Tortorella
took over in late March. Brind'Amour acknowledged the vibes around his team
were better than they could have been if not for the turnaround, but neither
team should expect to feel too good about itself for toon long in a series like
this.
Players are embracing that as part of the fun.
"This is exciting," Jarvis said. "This is what playoff hockey's all about is
tight games and momentum swings, and you never really know what's going to
happen next. I don't think you can ask any more of a playoff series."
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
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