The Golden Knights’ four-point plan for Game 5 successGreg WyshynskiJun 11, 2026, 08:30 AM ETClose
- Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes not only stole back home-ice advantage with their Game 4 win Tuesday night, they also captured back momentum in the Stanley Cup Final.
But the Vegas Golden Knights are undaunted. They’ve moved on from being unable to land a potential knockout blow with a 3-1 series lead. They’re happy to be back on the road, having gone 6-2 away from home and with a win already to their credit in Raleigh. More than anything, they’re confident that the championship rings in their locker room will shine brightest in the final stages of this series.
“We have a lot of guys that have gone on some long playoff runs,” defenseman Shea Theodore stated. “We’ve had some tough series. We’ve gone into some really tough building to play. We’re looking forward to getting back at it.”
Determination is one thing. Execution is another. Here are four ways the Golden Knights can get their groove back in this series and lift the Stanley Cup for the second time in their short history.
The Eichel Line needs its momentIs he hurt? Is it too much Jaccob Slavin? Did he need a line shake-up?
Editor’s Picks
Stanley Cup playoffs daily: Who wins a pivotal Game 5 in the Cup Final?
How undrafted players became so vital to NHL teams’ success
‘A lot of kids flying around here’: How the Hurricanes have weathered a playoff baby boom
Everyone has their theory about why Jack Eichel has only two assists in four Stanley Cup Final games, skating to a minus-3. He had the primary assist on Ivan Barbashev’s goal in Game 1 and on Tomas Hertl’s power-play goal in Game 3. Perhaps not coincidentally, those are the two victories for the Golden Knights in this series.
There’s pretty ample evidence that it’s more about what the Hurricanes are deploying against Eichel, Barbashev and Pavel Dorofeyev than any malfunction with the Vegas star center. The Golden Knights are earning only 38.7% of the shot attempts and 45.5% of the expected goals with Eichel on the ice, and have been outscored 5-2. Prior to this series, Vegas earned 47.5% of the shot attempts and 49.7% of the expected goals with Eichel on the ice, outscoring opponents 15-11.
Eichel saw Slavin (7:52) and his partner Jalen Chatfield (8:46) plenty in Game 4.
“Eichel’s got a lot of speed. He’s a dynamic player, can make a lot of plays out there and then you have two guys who can shoot the pocket on his wings,” Slavin stated on Wednesday. “It really is just playing hard on him. When we’re on them tight, then they just can’t make the plays that they’re wanting to make. That takes all five of us.”
Jack Eichel has seen a lot of Jaccob Slavin during the Stanley Cup Final. Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty ImagesCoach John Tortorella finally broke the emergency glass and moved Mark Stone up with Eichel and Barbashev. Eichel and Dorofeyev, who doesn’t have a point since Game 2 against Colorado, played just 1:19 together in Game 4.
Getting back with Stone could be a very good thing for Eichel. Their line with Barbashev averaged 4.6 goals per 60 minutes in the regular season (364 minutes together) and had a goals-for average of 64.8%, according to Evolving Hockey.
For the playoffs, Eichel is second on the Golden Knights with 20 points. That’s good. Not so good: that a player who scored 27 goals in 74 games this season has only three goals in his last 34 playoff games.
“I know Jack doesn’t have the goals. He was close tonight. He had the game on his stick on the faceoff there, just missed, hit the crossbar, one-timer,” Tortorella stated after Game 4. “I think they’re developing chances, but we do need to finish when we have some opportunities.”
Stretch the ice
Both teams’ defensive systems make them susceptible to long stretch passes. No one gave up more on average in the regular season than the Golden Knights, who surrendered 21.84 successful stretch passes per 60 minutes at 5-on-5. The Hurricanes were sixth overall (19.53) in that category. The trend continues for both the Golden Knights (25.4) and Hurricanes (23.9) through the first three rounds of the playoffs.
But in the Stanley Cup Final, Vegas cut down on the stretch passes they’ve given up (21.7 per 60) while the Hurricanes continue to give up a decent clip (22.2). That was especially true in Game 4, as the Golden Knights completed 22 stretch passes to just nine for the Hurricanes. That manifested as 12 shots off the rush, slightly higher than their per-game average in the first three games (10), according to Stathletes.
All of ESPN. All in one place.
Watch your favorite events in the newly enhanced ESPN App. Learn more about what plan is right for you. Sign Up Now
Vegas scored its first goal from Mark Stone on a stretch pass from Shea Theodore that found its way behind three defenders.
“That one’s just a misread. We had our guys there. They just made a good play,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour stated. “I mean, sometimes you got to tip your hat. That was an elite pass, to an elite player. It happens.”
It should happen more for Vegas. They had the same number of shots off the rush (12) and breakaway shots (one) as Carolina at 5-on-5 in Game 4.
Hurricanes winger Taylor Hall recently likened the challenge of defending the Golden Knights’ stretch passes to playing defensive back.
“Can you hang back a little bit and not give them that 60-yard bomb? It’s like in football: Just kind of playing some more zone and just kind of waiting for things to happen,” he stated. “But you give them credit there. They’ve got some fast guys, some big guys that get behind us, and that’s one of their focuses.”
Carter Hart must be better
While there have been questions about the Hurricanes’ goaltending throughout the Stanley Cup Final, the play of Carter Hart hasn’t been scrutinized in the same way.
He is 2-2 with a .861 save percentage and a 3.60 goals-against average. That’s after going 12-4 with a .924 save percentage and a 2.22 goals-against average in the 16 prior games.
Before the Stanley Cup Final, Hart had a 2.19 GAA and 0.05 goals saved above expected at 5-on-5. Against Carolina, he’s a 3.21 GAA and a minus-1.03 goals saved above expected at 5-on-5. Hart has given up four goals in all four games of the Final, something he had done only four times in the previous 16.
According to Stathletes, Hart’s save percentage on scoring chances (.743), slot shots (.773) and inner slot shots (.750) were all sharply down from the previous three rounds.
With the spotlight brightest in the Cup Final, Carter Hart has faltered from his earlier excellence. Bruce Bennett/Getty ImagesSo why hasn’t Hart’s play gotten more scrutiny? Three theories:1. Hart has looked better by comparison to Frederik Andersen, whose game fell apart in the Final (4.35 GAA, minus-1.71 expected goals at 5-on-5) to the point where he was shut down in Game 4.
2. It’s clearly his crease. Adin Hill hasn’t played since April 9, and his regular-season numbers (.870 save percentage) aren’t exactly on the level of a Brandon Bussi, for example.
3. Hart is John Tortorella’s guy, going back to their days with the Flyers.
2026 Stanley Cup FavoritesCarolina Hurricanes
