Ehlers scores lightning-fast goal to open Game 1 scoring

If you blinked, you might have missed it.

Just 25 seconds into Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday, Carolina Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers sent Lenovo Center into a frenzy with a quick goal to open up the scoring against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Ehlers’ goal is the third-fastest score of any Stanley Cup Final Game 1 in NHL history, behind only Sid Smith’s goal in Game 1 of the 1951 Cup Final (10 seconds) and Reggie Leach’s goal to start the 1976 series (21 seconds).

It’s the fastest goal to start any Stanley Cup Final game in 20 seasons, when Edmonton Oilers forward Fernando Pisani scored 16 seconds into Game 5 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final against the Hurricanes.

Carolina would go on to win that series in Game 7, the last time the Hurricanes hoisted the Cup.

And Ehlers made the goal look easy, flying down the ice after snagging the puck in the Golden Knights’ zone.

When he made it to his own zone, Ehlers let it rip from the left circle, flinging the puck past Golden Knights goalie Carter Hart to give the Hurricanes a lightning-fast lead.

Ehlers wasn’t done, scoring again at 12:08 of the first period.