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Tomas Hertl’s late goal lifts Golden Knights to Stanley Cup Final Game 1 win
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- Tomas Hertl’s late goal lifts Golden Knights to Stanley Cup Final Game 1 win
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The Vegas Golden Knights had a rough start to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final. Nikolaj Ehlers scored two goals early in the first period to put Vegas in a hole. And the Golden Knights lost two different leads following a comeback. Still, they rallied to win Game 1 of the Final over the Carolina Hurricanes .
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Shea Theodore put the Golden Knights on the board . Ivan Barbashev , Brett Howden , and William Karlsson also added goals in the contest. However, it was veteran Tomas Hertl who played hero in the third period. His goal gave Vegas a 5-4 win and a 1-0 series lead in the Final.
It was a huge goal for Hertl, and he has waited a long time to play in the Stanley Cup Final. His last appearance in the Final came all the way back in 2016. He and the San Jose Sharks took on Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins that year. San Jose lost the series in six games, with Hertl scoring 11 points in 20 games.
The Golden Knights went down after Ehlers scored twice, but they didn't roll over. Theodore scored to make it 2-1 entering the second period. And Barbashev tied the contest 30 seconds into the middle frame. Later on, Karlsson scored on a beautiful feed from Mitch Marner to briefly give Vegas the lead.
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The Hurricanes responded, but Howden was able to give the Golden Knights another lead. However, Carolina refused to give up, with Shayne Gostisbehere tying the contest 4-4 in the third. Hertl eventually scored the game-winner late in the period, with Vegas staving off a relentless Hurricanes flurry at the end.
Carolina will host Game 2 at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina on Thursday night.
Related: Golden Knights HC John Tortorella gives Game 1 props to Noah Hanifin, Rasmus Andersson
Related: Golden Knights' Tomas Hertl credits call from Joe Pavelski for offensive upswing
