Stanley Cup playoffs daily: Canes take 3-2 lead af…

June 12, 2026 No Comments

Stanley Cup playoffs daily: Previews, stats, schedule, bracketESPN staffJun 12, 2026, 07:00 AM ETMultiple Authors

In Game 1, Game 2 and Game 3, just one goal separated the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights, while Game 4 was a two-goal victory for the Canes.

Game 5 had its fair share of back-and-forth action in front of a raucous crowd in Raleigh, and Carolina won another two-goal game, with a 4-2 final score.

Here’s a recap of how the game was won, as well as updated playoff scoring and goaltending leaders.

Read more:
Full schedule
Playoff Central
Experts’ picks
Stanley Cup odds
Offseason guide for eliminated teams

Thursday’s schedule

Carolina Hurricanes 4, Vegas Golden Knights 2
Hurricanes lead 3-2

The Golden Knights appeared to have more gas in the tank at the start of the game than the Hurricanes, and cashed in at 6:52 via a power-play goal by Pavel Dorofeyev, breaking the young forward’s slump. Vegas held the lead for fewer than five minutes, as Jordan Staal scored again — the Canes captain has now scored in every game of the 2026 Cup Final.

In the first four games of the series, the second periods had belonged to Vegas; in this game, it was all Carolina, including goals by Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho. Svechnikov added another power-play goal in the third to put the Canes up 4-1, and that was more than enough. Despite another tally by Dorofeyev — and a furious final push — the Knights could get no closer than two goals.

Game 6 is Sunday in Las Vegas, and the Canes need just one more victory to win the Stanley Cup. Full recap | Grades

Playoff scoring leaders

PlayerGPGAP1. Mitch Marner, F, Golden Knights 21 10 19 29 2. Jack Eichel, F, Golden Knights 21 2 20 22 T-3. Brett Howden, F, Golden Knights 21 14 4 18 T-3. Jackson Blake, F, Hurricanes 18 6 12 18 T-3. Shea Theodore, D, Golden Knights 21 6 12 18 T-3. Taylor Hall, F, Hurricanes 18 6 12 18 7. Nikolaj Ehlers, F, Hurricanes 17 7 10 17 T-8. Pavel Dorofeyev, F, Golden Knights 21 12 4 16 T-8. Nick Suzuki, F, Canadiens 19 4 12 16 T-8. Lane Hutson, D, Canadiens 19 3 13 16

Click here for full list of stats leaders.

Playoff goaltending leaders

PlayerGPWGAASV%1. Arturs Silovs, Penguins 3 2 1.52 0.939 2. Linus Ullmark, Senators 4 0 2.03 0.932 3. Dan Vladar, Flyers 10 4 2.18 0.922 4. Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes 16 13 1.89 0.910 5. Carter Hart, Golden Knights 21 14 2.59 0.909 6. Jesper Wallstedt, Wild 10 5 2.77 0.909 7. Anton Forsberg, Kings 4 0 2.70 0.909 8. Jakub Dobes, Canadiens 19 9 2.66 0.908 9. Brandon Bussi, Hurricanes 3 2 2.18 0.908 10. Jeremy Swayman, Bruins 6 2 2.91 0.906 11. Scott Wedgewood, Avalanche 11 7 2.48 0.904 12. Alex Lyon, Sabres 10 4 2.59 0.904 13. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning 7 3 2.18 0.897 14. Tristan Jarry, Oilers 1 0 3.84 0.895 15. Jake Oettinger, Stars 6 2 2.83 0.893 16. Mackenzie Blackwood, Avalanche 4 1 2.82 0.890 17. Karel Vejmelka, Mammoth 6 2 3.13 0.885 18. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Sabres 6 3 3.18 0.876 19. Connor Ingram, Oilers 5 2 3.86 0.876 20. Stuart Skinner, Penguins 3 0 3.08 0.873 21. Lukas Dostal, Ducks 12 6 3.54 0.870 22. Filip Gustavsson, Wild 1 0 4.20 0.818

Click here for the full list of goaltender stats.