Behind Jordan Staal's 2 goals, Hurricanes level Stanley Cup Final 2-2

LAS VEGAS -- Vegas Golden Knights coach John Tortorella didn't mince words when it came to his team's defense on the Hurricanes' 37-year-old captain Jordan Staal during Carolina's 5-3 win on Tuesday in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.

"He's killing us in front of the net," Tortorella said. "We've got to do a better job around the blue (ice). He's a big man. He's a good player. That's where he lives. We've got to do a better job."

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Staal scored two goals, including the go-ahead tally in the third period, and Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and two assists as the Hurricanes evened the best-of-seven series at two wins apiece.

Game 5 is set for Thursday in Raleigh, N.C.

It marked the fourth straight game that Staal scored a goal, just the third player in the past 40 years to record a four-goal goal streak at any point in a Stanley Cup Final. He has five goals in the finals after registering just two in Carolina's first 13 playoff games this spring.

"Yeah, it's going in," Staal said. "I'm happy to contribute in that way. Obviously, I have a lot of other things that I need to contribute and play well in, but when the puck is going in, it feels good. Good timing, and we want to keep that up and find ways to get wins."

Staal also finished 12 of 16 (75%) in the faceoff dot, tops in Game 4.

"He's doing it all right now, and it's fun to watch," said teammate Jackson Blake, who had a goal and an assist. "That's what I think you want your captain to do. He's done so many good things for us. He's so good defensively, he's scoring every night, winning faceoffs, penalty-killing, on the power play. You name it, he's doing it. He's been special and a lot of fun to watch."

Logan Stankoven also scored a goal and Brandon Bussi, making his first NHL playoff start after coming off the bench in Game 3, made 18 saves for Carolina.

Bussi started in place of Frederik Andersen, who had started all 16 previous playoff games for the Hurricanes. Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour told reporters afterward that Andersen needed the rest. Pyotr Kochetkov was the backup goalie.

"Give him as many days here as we can," Brind'Amour said of sitting Andersen.

Brind'Amour wouldn't tip his hand on who his Game 5 starter would be but called Bussi's play "phenomenal."

William Karlsson had a goal and an assist and Brett Howden and Mark Stone also found the net for the Golden Knights. Vegas' Carter Hart stopped 23 of 27 shots.

The Hurricanes led 3-1 after one period, but the Golden Knights leveled the contest 3-3 in the middle frame.

Staal put Carolina back in front at 6:32 of the third period, flicking in the rebound of Ehlers' shot over Hart's glove while diving to the ice near the right post. The score came after the Hurricanes' Seth Jarvis intercepted a clearing pass from Shea Theodore in the high slot, but Hart turned away Jarvis' backhand try.

"I knew I had it," Staal said with a smile. "My goodness, my feet were twisting over each other. I ended up getting enough wood on it. I kind of poked it in. A great feeling, obviously. A big goal."

The Golden Knights pulled Hart for an extra attacker late in the game, and Ehlers sealed it with an empty-netter from behind his goal with 54.9 seconds remaining.

The Hurricanes needed only 66 seconds to take a 1-0 lead, and they did it with a goal similar to the one that beat them in double overtime on Saturday. Jalen Chatfield fired a point shot that, like Theodore's winning tally in Game 3, bounced off the end boards. This one went to Stankoven, who beat Hart with a backhand shot.

Blake made it 2-0 at 3:28 of the first, firing in a wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle off a Taylor Hall crossing pass.

Vegas halved the deficit at 7:22 of the opening period. Stone took a long stretch pass from Theodore and broke in, faked a shot in the slot and then wrapped a wrist shot around Bussi's right pad.

The Hurricanes, taking advantage of a Vegas penalty for too many men on the ice, extended the lead to 3-1 at 12:48 of the first period. Staal, stationed in front of the crease, knocked in a rebound of a Shayne Gostisbehere point shot.

Vegas nearly scored at the end of the period on a Brayden McNabb shot from the right circle at the buzzer, but the goal was waved off when replays showed time had expired before the puck crossed the goal line.

The Golden Knights battled back to tie it 3-3 in the second period on goals by Karlsson, a one-timer through traffic from the left circle at 4:22, and Howden, who finished an odd-man rush with a wrist shot through the legs of defenseman K'Andre Miller and over Bussi's right shoulder at 17:08.

It was Howden's league-leading 14th goal of the playoffs, setting a franchise record for most goals in a postseason campaign.

--Steve Guiremand, Field Level Media

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 10:20 PM.