Hurricanes’ strengths turned against them by Golden Knights in Game 1 loss of Cup Final

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes are used to dictating play with their forecheck and pressuring opponents into mistakes.

They got a taste of their own medicine in a back-and-forth 5-4 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center on Tuesday. 

After jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on a pair of goals from Nikolaj Ehlers, the Hurricanes had trouble handling the Golden Knights’ forecheck pressure, repeatedly resulting in turnovers and defensive zone coverage breakdowns that led to goals. 

“They forced us into it, and we didn’t handle the pressure particularly well,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “And sometimes there wasn't pressure and we kind of made a few poor decisions with the puck, and they capitalized.”

It’s an area Carolina will need to clean up to have a chance to even the best-of-7 series in Game 2 back at Lenovo Center on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, SN, TVAS, CBC).

The Hurricanes’ problems began with Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore’s goal that cut their lead to 2-1 at 13:28 of the first period. After Theodore backhanded the puck into Carolina’s end from the red line, Vegas worked the puck down low until defenseman Brayden McNabb fed Theodore for a shot from the right point that deflected in off Carolina forward Eric Robinson.

The was a harbinger of bad things to come for the Hurricanes in the second period. A turnover by typically reliable defenseman Jaccob Slavin to Ivan Barbashev, on a pass intended for Ehlers, eventually led to Barbashev’s goal that tied the score at 2-2 just 30 seconds in.

Then, though Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho won the defensive zone draw, Brett Howden pressured defensemen K'Andre Miller and Sean Walker into turning the puck over behind the net. Vegas forward Mitch Marner subsequently set up William Karlsson, who was left alone in front of the net, for a goal that gave Vegas a 3-2 lead at 4:35. 

“They were forechecking well,” Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said. “One guy was (aggressive), and they were reading the play well and getting above our guys and creating turnovers in different areas than we've been used to. We've got to, obviously, adjust and find ways to break the puck out of our end better, and get it out of our end and go wear them down.”

The Hurricanes did have some success with their forecheck, too. Jordan Martinook pressured Vegas defenseman Noah Hanifin into a turnover that led to Staal’s goal that tied it 3-3 at 12:42 of the second period.

Vegas kept coming, though, and Carolina kept making mistakes that led to goals. 

More sustained offensive zone pressure, following an unsuccessful Golden Knights power play, paid off with Howden’s goal that gave Vegas a 4-3 lead at 1:21 of the third period. Then, after defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere pulled the Hurricanes back even at 4-4 at 11:19, he lost coverage on Tomas Hertl when the Vegas forward curled into the slot to take a pass from Colton Sissons and score the game-winning goal at 16:36.

“He tried to shoot it, and I took a breather for a second and it went right to (Sissons), and that's how quick it can happen,” Gostisbehere said. “That one's definitely on me. Just took a breather for a second.”

That goal summed up how much of the night went for the Hurricanes.

“Those are the mistakes we made tonight that, really, we just don't make,” Brind’Amour said. “And we made too many of those tonight.”

Vegas’ forecheck pressure is a different challenge than anything Carolina faced going 12-1 in the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Ottawa Senators (4-0), Philadelphia Flyers (4-0) and Montreal Canadiens (4-1). The Hurricanes hope that seeing the mistakes they made against the Golden Knights in Game 1 will help them clean up their play and do better in Game 2. 

“They’re a heavy forecheck team,” Gostisbehere said. “They’re going to finish every hit. Maybe a little different than what we just played against, maybe take some time to get used to, but it's about us getting pucks out. Whoever is going to break the puck out better is going to have more success, so, obviously, we’ve just got to clean that up."

The Hurricanes needed one game against the Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final to get used to how they play, too. They rebounded after losing 6-2 in Game 1, though, and reeled off four consecutive wins to take the series. 

Pushing back against the Golden Knights, an experienced team who swept the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final, might be more difficult, though.

"This is a totally different team, and that may be part of it, too," Brind’Amour said. "We’ve got to get up to speed on how this game and this series is going to go. I think we certainly got a taste of that now."