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The Vegas Golden Knights have taken a 1-0 series lead after a high-scoring 5-4 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Final opener. On a night that saw wild momentum swings, Tomas Hertl was the late hero for the Golden Knights as they stole home-ice advantage immediately.
For the better part of 55 minutes, Vegas and Carolina traded haymakers, and the score was tied at 4 as the game moved toward overtime. Then, with under four minutes left, Hertl beat Shayne Gostisbehere off the boards and created some separation while slashing toward the net.
Linemate Colton Sissons recognized Hertl had some space, and found him in the slot where Hertl beat Andersen with a perfect shot over the blocker.
Hertl may have scored the game-winner, but Shea Theodore was a real star for Vegas. He played 23 tough minutes on the blue line and contributed a goal and two assists. Fellow defenseman Brayden McNabb also registered three points -- all assists.
An electric performance by Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who had two goals, went to waste. Carolina's typically impenetrable defense looked very vulnerable, and Frederik Andersen came down to Earth in goal. Acknowledging that he didn't get much help in front of him, Andersen allowed five goals on just 23 shots against.
This game was also characterized by fast starts with goals coming shortly after the start of each period. Game 1 was the first Stanley Cup Final game ever to see goals scored in the first 30 seconds of the first two periods, and Brett Howden scored just 81 seconds into the third period for the Golden Knights. We'll see if that pace slows as the teams settle into this series.
The Hurricanes must find a way to bounce back in Game 2 on Thursday because, if they don't, they'll face a devastating 0-2 deficit as the series shifts to Las Vegas.
Shea Theodore shines
Coming into the Stanley Cup Final, I ranked Theodore as the sixth-best player in the series, and I'm already worried that was too low. Theodore, along with defensive partner Brayden McNabb, was exceptional in Game 1. With Theodore on the ice, the Golden Knights controlled 70.4% of the expected goals and outscored the Hurricanes 4-2 at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.
Offensively, Theodore was just as good, tallying one goal and two assists. The goal was the result of the lucky bounce, but Theodore's first assist was all skill. After getting the puck at the point, Theodore completely fooled Sean Walker with a great move at the top of the circle, and then he fired a shot pass to Brett Howden on the back door for a wide open net.
The rest of the Vegas defensemen left a lot to be desired in Game 1, but when Theodore is playing like this, the Golden Knights are very difficult to beat.
First-line fizzles for Hurricanes
For all the success Carolina has had this postseason, its first line has been a bit underwhelming. Unfortunately for Rod Brind'Amour and the Hurricanes, that trio turned in one of its worst performances of the spring in Game 1.
With Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov on the ice together at five-on-five, Carolina got outplayed by Vegas. The Hurricanes owned just 47.0% of the expected goals and were outscored 1-0 in those situations. Additionally, none of those three stars registered a point on a night when goals came in bunches.
Jarvis, Aho and Svechnikov were one of the NHL's best lines in the regular season, so it's befuddling to see them struggle this badly in the playoffs. They need to cure whatever is ailing them quickly because, as good as Carolina's depth has been, it will need the big guns firing on all cylinders to beat the Golden Knights. If that line can't regain its magic in Game 2, does Brind'Amour think about breaking them up in hopes of finding a spark?
Goaltending optional
Entering this series, Frederik Andersen and Carter Hart were the two best goalies in the playoffs from a statistical perspective. They had combined to save 16.0 goals above average, and they both had sparkling save percentages. In Game 1, the bottom dropped out on both of them, but Hart just had one fewer puck get past him than his Carolina counterpart.
The Golden Knights and Hurricanes combined for 50 shots -- many of which were high-danger scoring chances -- in Game 1. Hart and Andersen combined to make just 41 saves, and neither goaltender came up with a series of big stops as they did in the previous rounds. Even though Hart was credited with the win, he probably gave up the worst goal of the night on a short side wrist shot to Shayne Gostisbehere.
Now I wonder how much leash each goalie has entering Game 2 since neither of them was particularly sharp on Tuesday. If Andersen gives up a couple early goals, do the 'Canes make a switch to Brando Bussi? What about Hart? Has he earned enough goodwill to get a couple shaky starts in the Stanley Cup Final? We may soon find out.
