Staal scores 2, Hurricanes top Golden Knights in Game 4, even Stanley Cup Final

LAS VEGAS -- Jordan Staal celebrated his go-ahead goal in the third period and immediately thought of what's next.

"Right away just focusing on what we have to do to keep going and how we're going to win this game," Staal said. "That's all I've been focusing on. We just have to win games and win games. We have two more."

Two more to get in what is now a best-of-3 Stanley Cup Final.

Staal's second goal of the night with 13:28 remaining in the third period was the difference as the Carolina Hurricanes did enough to even the series with a 5-3 win against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4 at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday.

For the fourth straight game a team squandered a multigoal lead, but the Hurricanes found a way behind Staal's two goals, three points from Nikolaj Ehlers and 18 saves from Brandon Bussi in his first career NHL postseason start to tie the best-of-7 series 2-2. 

Game 5 is at Lenovo Center on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, SN, TVAS, CBC).

"It's a wild ride, isn't it," Staal said. "There's a lot of emotion, lots of ups and downs. Tonight, I was proud of the group, how we stepped into that third period. We didn't obviously have a great second. The game was back and forth again. But we stuck with what we want to do in the third, stayed patient, find a way to get one. I thought we did a good job of just grinding the puck in and keeping it out of our net."

The Carolina captain has five goals in the series, including at least one in all four games. He is the first player to score in each of the first four games of a Stanley Cup Final since Mike Bossy did it with the New York Islanders in 1982. He's the fourth player to do it in the NHL expansion era (since 1968).

"He's killing us in front of the net," Vegas coach John Tortorella said of Staal.

Jackson Blake had a goal and an assist and Logan Stankoven also scored for the Hurricanes, who won despite being unable to hold onto a 3-1 lead in the second period.

Stankoven and Blake gave Carolina a 2-0 lead in the first 3:28 of the game.

"We battled back but I think just at the end of the day overall not good enough," Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore said. "I think too many turnovers, myself included. We have to be better going forward."

William Karlsson had a goal and an assist, and Mark Stone and Brett Howden also scored for the Golden Knights. Carter Hart made 23 saves.

"Flush this," Tortorella said. "We worked hard to get back into it. And I thought we had a really good third period. Jack (Eichel) hits the crossbar. We hit a post. But we don't get it done. So we need to flush it and get ready for our next game."

It was a wild sequence that led to Staal's game-winning goal at 6:32 of the third period.

Seth Jarvis had the puck and got in alone off a Vegas turnover, but Hart stopped him with a blocker save at 6:24. 

Jarvis still got the puck back behind the goal line, turned it over and Vegas had a chance to clear it out of the danger zone. Brayden McNabb instead put it right to Ehlers in the left circle. He one-touched it over to Staal, who stumbled and scored while falling down on his stomach. 

"Well, talk about the highs and lows, right?" Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "You see (Jarvis) all alone in front and you're like, 'OK.' I don't know if the goalie saved it. I don't know what exactly happened. Blew that one. So, you're kind of like, 'Aw,' and then you get it back and 'Jordo' makes a great play. 

"That's what's crazy about this series to be honest. It's just very unpredictable. Things are happening that I know I haven't seen in succession. It's been crazy."

Tortorella blamed the goal on successive mistakes by the Golden Knights.

"The frustrating part for me is they don't earn their winning goal," he said. "It's not so much the turnover and Carter makes a great save, but just after that we make another mistake and we leave the front of the net. … It's just for free. That's a hard one for me in the third period."

Ehlers scored a length-of-the-ice empty-net goal at 19:05 for the 5-3 final.

"We tied it up, we were playing some good hockey and had plenty of chances to go up ahead in the game," Vegas forward Colton Sissons said. "Just couldn’t find a way. It was unfortunate."

Stankoven scored from the slot at 1:06 to make it 1-0. Blake made it 2-0 at 3:28.

Stone cut it to 2-1 at 7:22 with a breakaway goal. 

Staal scored a power-play goal at 12:48 off a rebound from the slot to make it 3-1. 

"I've been telling the guys to get to the hoop for I don't know how long, years," Staal said. "Good things happen around there."

Karlsson scored on a one-timer from the left face-off circle at 4:22 of the second period to cut Carolina's lead to 3-2.

Howden made it 3-3 at 17:08 with his NHL-leading 14th goal of the postseason.

But Staal came through again when it mattered, and the Hurricanes rode it out to turn a best-of-7 into a best-of-3.

"It's a good time to get hot," Staal said.

NOTES: Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen was a healthy scratch. He started the first 16 games of the playoffs. … Bussi became the third goalie in the expansion era (since 1968) to make his first career playoff start in the Stanley Cup Final. The others are Andrei Vasilevskiy (Game 4, 2015) and Jussi Markkanen (Game 2, 2006). Bussi became the third goalie in NHL history to make his first career playoff start in a Stanley Cup Final and pick up a win. The others are Hank Bassen (Game 2, 1961) and Alfie Moore (Game 1, 1938). … Staal (37) is the oldest player to score at least two goals in a Stanley Cup Final game since Mark Recchi did it with the Boston Bruins in 2011, when he was 43 years old.