The Vegas Golden Knights had fought back in the second period to tie Game 4 at 3-3 and had a chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead if they won the third period.

Instead, they gave up a second goal by Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal and lost 5-3 as the best-of-seven series returns to North Carolina tied at two games apiece.

"The frustrating part for me is they didn't earn their winning goal," Golden Knights coach John Tortorella told reporters on Tuesday, June 9.

He was referring to a bad turnover that led to a Seth Jarvis chance in front that was stopped by Carter Hart.

"Right after that, we make another mistake," he said. "We leave the front of the net."

The Hurricanes retrieved the puck, which eventually went to Staal, who scored while falling down.

JORDAN STAAL DIVING GOAL FOR THE LEAD 😱

Continues to step up for Carolina on the biggest of stages 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9L04r3ZDH5

— ESPN (@espn) June 10, 2026

"It's just for free," Tortorella said. "It's a hard one for me in the third period."

Even though the Golden Knights had rallied, there were problems earlier in the game. They gave up two goals in the first five minutes. They took a penalty for too many men on the ice and Staal scored on a rebound in the crease.

"We have him, but then we let him off the hook," the coach said. "He's killing us in front of the net. We have to do a better job around the blue."

Tortorella liked the team's late press, "but we don't get it done."

Now the series is a best-of-three, with the Hurricanes regaining home-ice advantage.

"We need to flush it and get ready for the next game," Tortorella said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: John Tortorella: Hurricanes 'didn't earn their winning goal'

Throughout the postseason, the Vegas Golden Knights have been excellent at clawing their way back from a seemingly insurmountable deficit and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. But on Tuesday, the Carolina Hurricanes weathered the storm and stood their ground. The Hurricanes eked out a 5-3 win, sending the series back to Raleigh tied 2-2.

Through two periods of play, it looked like the Golden Knights were going to pull off another improbable win. In typical fashion, they trailed by two goals on two separate occasions, but came all the way back in the second period and headed into intermission tied 3-3.

Heading into the third period, they had all the momentum. They were playing well and were brimming with confidence after some of the comeback wins they’ve rattled off this postseason.

And then, disaster struck.

The Golden Knights turned the puck over behind their net twice in a seven-second span, and the Hurricanes took them to task for it.

Despite the fact that they never had the lead, it’s hard not to look at Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final as one that the Golden Knights allowed to slip away.

“Of course you feel that way when you come back from 3-1 to 3-3,” said defenseman Rasmus Andersson postgame. “And then, obviously, tied at home going into the third. For sure, you feel like that one slipped away.”

Game 5 is scheduled for Friday at 5:20 p.m. PST.

1. Jumpin’ Jack Flash

The Golden Knights take a lot of pride in their depth scoring. This team can run all four lines. It doesn’t matter the game situation; John Tortorella is comfortable sending any one of his four lines over the boards.

Because of the way they’re built, the Golden Knights don’t need Jack Eichel to score the way some other teams need their stars to score. Eichel is a point-per-game player this postseason and has largely driven the offense with his elite playmaking.

However, in the Stanley Cup Final, Eichel hasn’t looked like the dominant two-way center that the Golden Knights need him to be. He hasn’t been bad, per se, but he has just two assists and is a -3 in four games against the Hurricanes. He’s struggled with his zone entries, and he isn’t as strong on the puck as he usually is. At times, you can’t even tell that he’s on the ice.

The Golden Knights have gotten goals from their defensemen. They’ve gotten timely goals from their middle six forwards, and they’ve gotten critical goals from their fourth line. The one area in which the Golden Knights are lacking in scoring is from the Eichel line.

There’s a positive way to look at this. Eichel hasn’t taken over a game yet, but the Golden Knights are right in this thing. They didn’t capitalize on their opportunity to go up 3-1 in the series, but they’re still headed back to Raleigh tied 2-2.

But if the Golden Knights want to win their second Stanley Cup in franchise history, they need more out of Jack Eichel.

2. You’re Killing Me, Staal!

Through three rounds of the postseason, the Golden Knights were exceptional in front of their own net. They didn’t allow many shots through; on the rare occasion that a shotdidget through, they were there to box out their opponents. They were quick and efficient at getting to loose pucks, and they didn’t allow Carter Hart to face many second chances off rebounds.

That hasn’t been the case through four games against the Hurricanes, and the Golden Knights are paying the price. Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal is doing most of the damage. After scoring just two goals through the first three rounds of the postseason, Staal has five goals in four games against the Golden Knights.

“He’s killing us in front of the net, Staal is. We’ve got to do a better job around the blue,” Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella said postgame. “He’s a big man. He’s a good player. That’s where he lives. We just got to do a better job… We’ve got to be stronger; we’ve got to win that battle.”

3. …And I Took That Personally

Coming into this series, the national narrative was that this Stanley Cup Final would be, for lack of a better word, boring. Through four games, this Stanley Cup Final has been anything but.

This is the first time in Stanley Cup Final history that the first four games have all featured a team erasing a multi-goal deficit. In Game 1, the Golden Knights overcame an early two-goal lead. In Game 2, the Hurricanes erased a two-goal deficit in the final 10 minutes of regulation. In Game 3, the Hurricanes clawed back from a four-goal deficit. And tonight, the Golden Knights were the team to erase two separate two-goal deficits.

This is also just the second time in Stanley Cup Final history that the teams have combined for four or more goals in three straight regulation periods. So much for a low-scoring affair, eh?

“There’s been some crazy momentum swings, and both teams are capitalizing,” said Colton Sissons following the 5-3 loss. “These things happen. It’s hard to put one explanation on it; it’s just two teams going at it and finding ways to score. Tight games, but, yeah, higher scoring than we're used to.”

In some ways, it is quite hard to believe that it's already been 17 years since Jordan Staal scored a key shorthanded goal in Game 4 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings to help turn the tide of the series and lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to their third Cup in franchise history.

That moment proved that Staal - already an elite two-way center at 21 years old when the Penguins won that year - had that clutch gene in him. It proved that, on the NHL's biggest stage, he had the ability to come through for his team and be the catalyst it needs.

Fast forward to 2026, and Staal might be wearing a different uniform. But he is doing the same exact thing.

In the four games to open the Stanley Cup Final this season, Staal has scored in every one, and he netted two in Game 4 - including the game-winner during the third period - to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a 5-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights and tie the series. The 37-year-old center is now up to seven goals and 11 points in 17 playoff games this postseason, which include five goals and six points in the Final series alone. 

Of course, anyone who has followed Staal's 20-year NHL career knows that he's always had a knack for coming through in big moments. He seems to have ice in his veins when the stage becomes the biggest, and that has always been the case. 

JARVIS MISSES A GOLDEN CHANCE, BUT THEN STAAL WITH A DIVING GOAL TO TAKE THE LEAD 😱🚨

HE HAS 5 GOALS AND 6 POINTS IN 4 SCF GAMES AT 37 YEARS OLD!!! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/r0BLrRxaWX

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 10, 2026

And Penguins' fans know this better than anybody. 

During the Stanley Cup Final in 2009, the Penguins went down in the series, 2-0, and they managed to pull off a win in Game 3 at home. They were back at home for Game 4, and they found themselves on the penalty kill and trailing, 2-1, midway through the second period.

And that's when Staal - already well-known for his impact shorthanded - took the puck up ice on a shorthanded opportunity, splitting the 'D' and bodying his way around all-time great defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom to power one past Red Wings' goaltender Chris Osgood and tie the game. 

The last time Jordan Staal played in a Stanley Cup Final was 2009! 17 years later, the age of 37 has 3 goals in the last 4 games! Let’s go Canes pic.twitter.com/ON41o8BM3T

— The cfb lliason (@realfbllliason) June 7, 2026

Staal finished with two goals and three points in that series. The Penguins went on to win that game, 4-2, and they won the series in seven games. This also capped off a revenge tour for the Penguins, as they were beaten by Detroit in the Final in 2008.

And Staal had already played a part in that revenge tour earlier in the season, when the Penguins played the Red Wings on Nov. 11, 2008, for the first time since they had lost the Cup Final to them the spring before. Staal put his team on his back, recording a third-period hat trick and pickpocketing Pavel Datsyuk in overtime to set up Ruslan Fedotenko's game-winner in what was one of the more memorable individual performances of Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby era. 

Jordan Staal's second career Hat Trick vs Detroit Red Wings 11/11/08I also left on the amazing backcheck he had on Datsyuk & his pass to Fedotenko for the game winning goal.One of Jordan's best games in his career.[ALL COPYRI...

He was, ultimately, dealt to the Hurricanes in the summer of 2012 - during his wedding, nonetheless - and has spent the last 14 years of his NHL career in Raleigh, registering 22 goals and 48 points in 106 playoff games since. He had 23 goals and 36 points in 73 post-season games with the Penguins, and he has 318 goals and 747 points dispersed across 1,403 regular season games in his NHL career.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound center's play for the Hurricanes in this year's final serves as a reminder to Penguins' fans just how important Staal was to the Cup run back in 2009 and to the Penguins' former core of players that helped build their foundation for success in the mid-late 2000s. Without Staal to anchor down that third-line center position during those years - and without him as a suitable injury replacement for Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for pockets during that time - the Penguins may never hae reached the pinnacle they were able to during the Crosby era.

In the present, Staal is enjoying the best playoff performance of his career. And if the Hurricanes are going to win two of these last three games in the Cup Final, he will need to find a way to continue elevating himself when the stakes are the highest. 

'I Took So Much Away From Those Years': Wyatt Cullen Reflects On Growing Up With A Cup Team In PittsburghWyatt Cullen - son of former Pittsburgh Penguin and three-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Cullen - learned some valuable and applicable lessons from his time as a child in Pittsburgh.

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LAS VEGAS — The Carolina-Vegas series was largely expected to be a Stanley Cup Final in which goals were at a premium and each shift felt like a march up a well-defended hill.

Yeah, that isn’t this.

Another two-goal lead went the way of the landline on Tuesday night, the go-ahead shot came from a 37-year-old on his stomach on one of the great runs in Cup final history, and the winning goalie made his first start in two months and doesn’t know if that will be his last one this postseason.

None of it makes sense and yet it all somehow does in this series that is now even after four games — probably aptly so — because of Jordan Staal’s second goal at 6:32 of the third period that came while sprawled on the ice in what became a 5-3 Hurricanes victory over for the Golden Knights.

“It’s a wild ride, isn’t it?” Staal said. “There’s a lot of emotion, lots of ups and downs.”

Now the series heads back to Carolina for Game 5 on Thursday night. The Hurricanes will potentially have two games on home ice to win their first Cup in two decades. Coach Rod Brind’Amour captained that 2006 team, and though he’s not ready to look at the big picture, he recognizes this is a unique final.

“I know I need to (appreciate it) because this doesn’t come across very often,” Brind’Amour said. “But it is pretty stressful.”

The same applies at the other end, where the 9-year-old Golden Knights chase their second championship in four years. Their position isn’t all that different from when the day started — two more wins and they’re there — but now they need to win at least once more on the road.

“We need to flush it and get ready for our next game,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “I don’t think we should be looking any farther than just the next game.”

Whichever team winds up losing can point to a number of moments that could have changed the outcome.

Each game until this one was decided by one goal. It appeared this one would as well until Nikolaj Ehlers deposited an empty-net goal from 187 feet.

A two-goal lead has disappeared in all four games in what has been a remarkable series in which momentum often changes at a moment’s notice. Each team has led by at least that many twice.

The 33 combined goals are tied for the third highest in a Cup final with the Islanders-Flyers series in 1980.

Staal became the first player in 44 years to score at least one goal in each of the first four games of the final and the ninth overall. Mike Bossy in 1982 with the New York Islanders against the Vancouver Canucks was the last player to score in the first four games of a final.

Ehlers’ goal was part of a three-point night for him, Jackson Blake had a goal and an assist and Logan Stankoven scored a goal.

Brandon Bussi started in place of Frederik Andersen in goal and made 18 saves, and including his work in relief in Game 2, Bussi has 36 saves on 40 shots. Brind’Amour said that Andersen, who did not dress, needed the rest. Pyotr Kochetkov was the backup goalie with Andersen serving as the emergency goaltender.

“If you’re going to give him a break, you need to give him a break,” Brind’Amour said. “So to me, him dressing and going through all that does not really give him a night off.”

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

The Hurricanes came out blazing, taking a 3-1 lead in the first period. Vegas nearly cut it to one, but Brayden McNabb’s goal came right after the period ended and didn’t count.

Vegas scored twice in the second to tie the game, and the Golden Knights have now outscored Carolina 9-1 in that period.

But the Golden Knights failed to add to that total, shifting home-ice advantage back to the Hurricanes.

“We knew it was going to be a tight series,” Golden Knights defenseman Rasmus Andersson said. “We’re playing a really good team and 2-2, best out of three and fly out to Carolina (Wednesday) and take care of business in Game 5.”

Jordan Staal had two goals including an iconic moment that old time hockey fans will recognize, The Hurricanes survived another rough second period, Brandon Bussi got his first playoff start and win, and Carolina will hop the plane back to Raleigh with the Stanley Cup Final tied at two.

Rod Brind’Amour had managed to keep his decision of starting goalie under wraps for the last two days, even joking with the media about it when he was asked. Players wouldn’t bite, and neither would Bussi as the only goalie who would speak to the media. However, when the Canes skated out to warm up not only was Brandon Bussi starting, but for the first time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Pyotr Kochetkov dressed and was the backup. During the game, Brind’Amour explained to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan that playing Kochetkov as backup was about giving Andersen “a full amount of rest.”

Quickly the story of the game shifted from who was between the pipes to the puck once again getting into the net. For the second game this series, the Hurricanes quickly skated out to a 2-0 lead. The first goal came with only about a minute gone from the game, as Logan Stankoven was able to take a shot from Jalen Chatfield that bounced off the wall behind the goal and easily backhand the puck behind Carter Hart.

Carolina kept pushing, and it led to a quick penalty on Vegas. Shea Theodore was sent to the box for tripping Taylor Hall, and Carolina’s resurgent Power Play controlled the action during those two minutes. With the penalty winding down, Vegas made a poor clearing attempt that saw the puck get back in the hands of Alexander Nikishin. Nikishin quickly passed it back to Nikolaj Ehlers, who whipped it over to Hall. Hall then skated in front of Hart and with Hart paying too much attention to the puck, Hall whipped it over to Jackson Blake. Blake burried the shot in the open net and Carolina was again off to their 2-0 lead.

Just like the other games, though, the action wouldn’t calm down and despite making a couple of great stops, Vegas would eventually get one back thanks to Mark Stone and a bad change by the Canes. Stone did what several Golden Knights have done this series, sit at the blue line and wait for a chance to streak in and was able to out wait Bussi. After that, though, Bussi would stop the rest of the shots in the period, while the Canes would get another Power Play with a Vegas too many men penalty. This one was just Jordan Staal being big in front of Hart. Shayne Gostisbehere shot it on net and Staal was able to get the rebound from Hart and stuff it back in.

Carolina would have to kill a penalty at the end of the first, and Vegas would get a puck past Bussi at the end of the period—but the clock had clearly hit 0.0 before the puck even entered the paint, let alone clear the line. Carolina took a 3-1 lead to the locker room with a 14-6 lead on shots.

Unfortunately for Carolina their second period woes carried over even with a different goalie in net. The good news for the Hurricanes is that they ended the period tied at three instead of trailing like they had in others. The bad news was that once again Vegas just completely dominated play during the period. The Golden Knights set the tone early with the Mitch Marner line scoring again. This time, Marner was able to draw the Carolina defense deep behind Bussi, which left the rest of the team scrambling. That eventally led to William Karlsson being all alone as Stankoven had lost him, and Karlsson blasted the shot by Bussi. Carolina would get a Power Play that was easily their worst of the game, and then Vegas would dominate the Canes on a late power play that did everything but score. Like other times in this series, that Power Play gave Vegas momentum, and about 30 seconds after it finished Brett Howden shot it between K’Andre Miller’s legs and over Bussi’s shoulder.

The second period ended tied, and somehow Carolina ended with more shots than the Golden Knights, but much like Game 1 when the Canes hit the locker room, they found themselves tied with Las Vegas. But as much as Vegas has dominated the second period, the Hurricanes have dominated the third, and that script played out again with a goal that can only be described as iconic.

Vegas started the period trying to reverse the trend, dominating play, but the defense was able to block shots and Bussi made a few key saves. Then Carolina flipped the script and what can only be described as a grinding play, Seth Jarvis was able to get loose and get a breakaway. Hart made the initial stop, but the chaos threw Vegas all out of sorts as three players collapsed on Jarvis to try and recover the puck. Instead the puck rolled over to Ehlers, who flexed a pass over to Staal. At the same moment Staal was legally pushed down, but he perfectly timed swinging his stick as he was going down to direct the puck past Hart and give the Canes a 4-3 lead.

The goal evoked memories of Bobby Orr 56 years ago, a goal so iconic a statue of it sits in front of the home of the Boston Bruins.

From there, Vegas would push but Carolina’s defense held firm in perhaps their most complete effort of the Cup Final so far. The Golden Knights would pull Hart with a little under two minutes left, but Carolina held firm and then it was their turn for a good bounce off the boards. Nikolaj Ehlers would simply try to clear the puck, but it bounced off the wall, and as Vegas had collapsed to try and score, they were unable to get to the puck in time as it trickled into the empty net.

The horn would sound and Carolina claimed a 5-3 victory. Vegas actually outshot Carolina 9-5 in that period, but the Canes would win the period 2-0.

There’s no rest for either team as they’ll hop on a plane and head back to Raleigh. Game Five will be in Lenovo Center Thursday Night at 8 PM. Don’t expect any answers about who’ll be in goal for Carolina before then, and what is being called one of the best Stanley Cup Final series in history will go at least six games. No doubt the arena that Ray Ferraro called the loudest he’s been in will be dialed up even higher.

The 2026 NHL Draft is less than three weeks away, meaning the Pittsburgh Penguins front office and scouting staff are deep in preparation for it. 

The Penguins have the 22nd overall pick in the first round and depending on how the board shakes out, could have some really good players fall to them. 

One player they'll be very familiar with, who has a ton of skill, is Wyatt Cullen, the son of Matt Cullen. The latter won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017 and works for the team as a development coach.

Wyatt is projected to go in the first round after a tremendous 2025-26 campaign with the United States National Team Development Program. He finished the season with 16 goals and 45 points in 40 games as a winger. 

Cullen also played great at the U18 World Juniors, compiling three goals and nine points in five games. He had the best point per game average (1.80) of any player in the tournament. 

He has a lot of skill in his game and is very shifty. He's able to knife through players and find open space like it's nothing. One of my favorite plays from his season came during Team USA's game against Germany, when he received a pass and made a beautiful deke around a German skater before going backhand-to-forehand for a goal. His skating, shiftiness, stick-handling, and net-front play were all on display. 

Speaking of his skating, he's electric when he gets going and can blow past some players with his separation speed. He's also got some nice vision, especially on the power play. 

Cullen spoke really highly about his skill at the NHL Combine last week and almost pitched himself to teams who are looking to potentially draft him. 

"I think my skill is, kind of, top-four, five, three in the draft," Cullen said. "I have really high-end skill, and I think that's what separates me. I see the ice and have really high-IQ, and I feel like my IQ and skillset is what separates me from other guys."

While his offensive skill is outstanding, I still question whether he'll be able to pull off some of these moves against better players. I don't think he's going to get as much space when he plays for the University of Minnesota in the NCAA. He's gonna have to learn that "less is more" at times. 

'I Took So Much Away From Those Years': Wyatt Cullen Reflects On Growing Up With A Cup Team In PittsburghWyatt Cullen - son of former Pittsburgh Penguin and three-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Cullen - learned some valuable and applicable lessons from his time as a child in Pittsburgh.

As for his two-way game, it's definitely an area that he needs to improve. He's not as defensively responsible as some of the other forwards in this class, and I'd like to see him get back and help out a little bit more. 

Like every prospect, he had some rough plays during this past season, and the Penguins showed him some of them during their meeting with Cullen at the NHL Combine. It's something he really appreciated. 

"It went really well," Cullen said. "They showed some bad clips of you, but I think it's really good. They kind of helped me out a bit and gave me some good tips, so I think it went really well."

It's highly likely that Cullen will be picked in the top 15 of the 2026 NHL Draft, but if he falls a bit, I wouldn't be surprised if the Penguins looked to trade up a few spots to snag him. 

The first round of the 2026 NHL Draft will take place on June 26 at 7 p.m. ET. 

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Staal scores twice and Hurricanes beat Golden Knights 5-3 to knot Stanley Cup Final at 2-2.

A goalie change is happening in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Hurricanes’ starting goalie, Frederik Andersen, is listed as a healthy scratch — not injured — for Game 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights, leaving backup Brandon Bussi to make his first career postseason start on Tuesday night. Pyotr Kochetkov was slotted in as the backup as Carolina tries to rally from a 2-1 series deficit.

Andersen was pulled after two periods in Game 3 after allowing four goals on 16 shots.

Bussi came in and was excellent in relief, making 18 saves before allowing a game-losing goal in double overtime after Carolina had rallied from a 4-0 deficit.

Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour was left to choose between the hot hand and the proven commodity.

“We’ll make all the decisions after we practice tomorrow,” Brind’Amour said Sunday. “We’ll see how he’s feeling. I haven’t made any decisions on the lineup, so I can’t tell you.”

Andersen has been the go-to for the Hurricanes throughout the playoffs, holding a .910 save percentage and allowing 32 goals through 13 games.

While not the most impressive stats, the high-scoring Hurricanes haven’t needed a brick wall to get by their opponents, scoring at least three times in all but two games so far.

Now, against one of the best counter-attacking teams in the NHL, a .910 is not cutting it.

“You obviously don’t want to give up some of the chances we’ve given up, but overall I thought [Andersen’s] been fine,” Carolina’s coach said. “You ask him to make the saves that he’s got to make, and I think he’s done that. A couple of bad bounces, they are what they are. He’s been solid for us.”

In the regular season, though, it was Bussi who made the majority of starts for Carolina, a fact he reminded fans in Game 3 with his .947 save percentage.

While the former Bruin had not made an NHL playoff start before Tuesday, he did play six postseason games in the AHL with the Providence Bruins, allowing 2.20 goals against per game.

“These are the moments you want to be playing in, right?” Bussi said after Game 3. “Just put my head down and have fun with it. It’s been a fun ride. We’re here for a reason. I’ve practiced hard in case something happened. I’m not rooting for that, but my name was called.”

The Vegas Golden Knights dug themselves out of a hole in the second period Tuesday night, as they overcame a 3-1 deficit against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 in the Stanley Cup Final and will head into the third period deadlocked at 3-3.

Carolina looked much more like a team playing with a sense of urgency in need of a win in the first period than what Vegas should have looked like, a team playing with a 2-1 series lead and the intent to squeeze the life out of its opponent.

The Hurricanes switched goaltenders, going with Brandon Bussi in favor of Frederik Andersen, who was a healthy scratch after starting the 16 previous playoff games for Carolina. Pyotr Kochetkov was in as the backup.

Carolina outshot the Golden Knights in the first, 14-6, and controlled the tempo from the opening puck drop.

The Hurricanes got things going early with two quick goals inside the first four minutes of the opening period. First, it was Logan Stankoven at the 1:06 mark, and then it was Jackson Blake at the 3:28 mark.

Stone cut the Hurricanes' lead in half midway through the first thanks to a beauty of a stretch pass from Shea Theodore, who stitched a pass across three lines and through five different players. Stone then faked, deked and slithered to his right to beat Bussi to make it 2-1 Carolina.

those are some filthy moves from Stoney 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/DlVVtnNRed

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 10, 2026

The Hurricanes would take advantage of a power play, as captain Jordan Staal tapped home Shayne Gostisbehere rebound from the top to make it 3-1.

Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb buried a shot at the horn, but the puck crossed the goal line just after the clock hit 0.0, leaving Carolina with a 3-1 lead.

The Knights continued their second-period dominance in the series when Karlsson took a pass from fellow Swede Rasmus Andersson at the left circle and beat Bussi to make it a 3-2 game just 4:22 in.

Karly and Ras got that Swede connection 🤞 pic.twitter.com/DCJ6Rw4qep

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 10, 2026

Then, with a little less than three left in the period, it was Howden with a nifty goal from the left circle for his 14th of the playoffs to tie the game at 3-all.

VGK HISTORY FOR BRETT HOWDEN WITH HIS 14TH GOAL 🙌 pic.twitter.com/EoWzLLU02b

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 10, 2026

The Golden Knights have outscored teams 25-11 in the second period during the postseason, including an incredible 9-1 in the Cup Final.

VGK now have 9 goals on 40 shots (22.5%) in 2nd periods in the Stanley Cup Final.

— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) June 10, 2026

PHOTO CAPTION

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone (61) scores against Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) during the 1st period in game four of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena.

LOS ANGELES – The Kings have hired Peter Laviolette as their new head coach. More changes could be expected to bolster the coaching staff.

Peter Laviolette is a Stanley Cup-winning head coach with 24 seasons of NHL experience. Along with the title he won with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, Laviolette has two other Stanley Cup appearances with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and the Nashville Predators in 2017.

Now, the Kings are hoping Laviolette can bring playoff success to their organization. Los Angeles has been eliminated in the first round in the past five seasons.

So the biggest question with this hire is how Laviolette will benefit the Kings' playing style? The answer to that it is a great fit for the Los Angeles organization.

During his interim tenure as head coach, DJ Smith enhanced the defensive success through activating the backend along with forechecking and physicality. This defensive scheme helped the Kings go from outside the playoff picture to secure the final wild card spot.

Throughout Laviolette’s career, he has been known as a coach with a team that pushes the pace and presents a heavy forecheck. Every team Laviolette has coached has played an aggressive forecheck, which has led to massive improvements in their puck possession.

The season before the Flyers hired Laviolette, Philadelphia had a 47.65% CF in 2009, but that skyrocketed to 50.93% in 2010. The Predators had a 48.44% CF in 2014, but with Laviolette, that improved to 52.82% in 2015.

Teams that struggled with forechecking found success in the very next season with Laviolette as their head coach. Now, Laviolette gets to coach a Kings team that is already fond of forechecking.

Los Angeles had a 52.22% CF, which ranked in the top 10 in the NHL last season. A forecheck-heavy coach should find success with a team that has already excelled in puck possession.

The Kings dropped from 105 points to 90 points in the Pacific, while young teams like the Ducks and Sharks surged in the standings. With the right offseason moves, an upbeat tempo, active defensemen, and aggressive forecheck could keep the Kings competitive against their rivals.

While the Laviolette hire activates the defensive core in place, how else will the offense improve? That’s where the Kings will have to make another decision for the coaching staff.

RADIO REPLAY: Talking Kings Hiring Laviolette, His Assistants, and Potential Upcoming Roster Moves https://t.co/jg4CiWe11j#LAKings#GoKingsGopic.twitter.com/DCWQtVAvM5

— MayorsManor.com Staff (@MayorsManor) June 8, 2026

Newell Brown was hired back in the 2025 season to help the power play improve. However, the Kings have experienced an even larger decline in the power play since then.

In 2024, the Kings had a 22.6% power play, which ranked 11th in the league. The next season, Brown gets hired, and the power play drops to 17.9% and 27th overall.

As underwhelming as the power play was in 2025, it was even worse this past season. The Kings had a 17% power-play percentage, which ranked 28th overall.

Brown led the Kings' power play to a bottom-six percentage in both of his seasons as an assistant coach. Brown's power-play strategy has been criticized by fans and reporters for the struggle.

In the past two seasons, the Kings' power play has been holding the puck to set up the perfect shot. Nonetheless, one good look at a power play isn’t as effective as four difficult shots.

A north-to-south style creates more shots on net, which creates more chances for goals. This style of hockey also aligns with the new head coach, who likes to forecheck and play fast.

Therefore, an east-to-west offense that has struggled will not align with Laviolette’s vision for the team. Making it apparent that Brown might be the next coach to be replaced for the Kings.

It is not official that the Kings are moving on from assistant coach Brown, but it is heavily speculated that this could be the move, with new head coach offseason hires typically comes with new staff preferences. The head coach hire may just be the beginning of the coaching overhaul for Los Angeles.

The answer to the most guarded secret in the NHL was given when Brandon Bussi skated onto the ice for warmups in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.

In a surprise, Frederik Andersen didn't dress as Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said the team's goalie coach said Andersen needed a break.

Bussi played well enough in the series-tying 5-3 victory on Tuesday, June 9, that he could get the call again when the series resumes Thursday night in Raleigh, North Carolina.

He stopped 18 of 21 shots and now has stopped 36 of 40 since Brind'Amour inserted him at the start of the third period of Game 3. Andersen, who had started every game, had given up four goals in the second period in Saturday's game.

Bussi had to stop a Mitch Marner penalty shot in Game 3 and that save gave the Hurricanes a chance to rally, though they eventually fell 5-4 in double overtime.

Brind'Amour didn't reveal his starter either after Monday's practice or in Tuesday's pregame news conference. There was no morning skate on Tuesday.

Bussi was tested quickly again in Game 4. He stopped a Mark Stone short-handed breakaway to preserve a 1-0 lead and the Hurricanes made it 2-0 shortly after.

Stone scored in the first period and Vegas tied the game 3-3 in the second period. But Bussi stopped nine shots in the third period to make Jordan Staal's go-ahead goal stand up.

"He was really solid all night," Brind'Amour said.

The start was Bussi's first since mid-April and his first career start in the playoffs. Did he think he played well enough to get the call in Game 5?

"Talk to Rod," he told ABC.

How Brandon Bussi fared in third period

The Golden Knights kept him scrambling but couldn't get a puck past him. He stopped 18 of 21 shots in the game and gave himself a chance to get the call again in Game 5 on Thursday, June 11.

How Brandon Bussi fared in second period

The Golden Knights have outscored the Hurricanes in 9-1 in the second period and Brandon Bussi is part of that now. He gave up goals to William Karlsson and Brett Howden as Vegas tied the game. He wasn't quite set on the first goal. The second goal was a great play by Howden, who set up a screen by shooting through a defender's leg. Bussi has stopped nine of 12 shots, a big difference from his relief appearance in Game 3.

How Brandon Bussi fared in first period

He was tested early on a short-handed breakaway by Mark Stone, but came up big. Stone later scored on a breakaway as he faked a shot, stickhandled and tucked the puck past Bussi's outstretched pad. The Golden Knights' next goal didn't count because time expired. But all in all, a good period for Bussi, who made five saves and has a 3-1 lead.

Why isn't Frederik Andersen playing?

Brind'Amour said Brandon Bussi got the start because he played great when he entered Game 3. Why isn't Frederik Andersen dressed? "Let him rest," the coach told ABC.

Bussi catches with different hand than Andersen

Bussi catches right-handed while Andersen catches left.

"We don't care who's playing, what hand, what feet, we're just going to play," Golden Knights coach John Tortorella told reporters.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricanes' Brandon Bussi starts Game 4, gets win vs Golden Knights

The 2026 NHL Playoffs have marked Brett Howden’s coming-out party. 

With the Vegas Golden Knights two games away from winning the Stanley Cup, Howden currently leads all players in the playoffs with 13 goals. 

There’s no doubt that Howden has been an integral piece for the Golden Knights through their playoff run thus far, but what many people may not know is how he got to Vegas in the first place. 

Howden was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft, but he was traded to the New York Rangers as part of the deal that sent Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to Tampa Bay in 2018.

He ultimately spent three seasons with the Rangers, playing in a total of 178 games and recording 16 goals, 33 assists, and 49 points.

Shortly after being hired as the Rangers’ president and general manager in 2021, Chris Drury traded Howden to the Golden Knights in exchange for defenseman Nick DeSimone and a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

The Rangers eventually used that 2022 fourth-round pick to select Noah Laba.

Over his first three seasons in Vegas, Howden failed to record over 20 points, but he had a career year during the 2024-25 campaign, posting 23 goals, 17 assists, and 40 points.  

Now, playing on a line alongside Mitch Marner and William Karlsson, the 28-year-old forward has found his offensive groove and could be on his way to winning both the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy.

“I think he's in the moment,” Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella said of Howden. I just think he likes the situation he's in. I think the line's been good. That line, once we put it together, just connected. I don't think he's afraid of a damn thing, as far as playoffs, what comes with it, the flows of it. I just think he feels that good about himself.”