By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Welcome to live theater in North Carolina.
The Vegas Golden Knights now know what it’s like to suffer a brutal and painful loss in the Stanley Cup Final in Raleigh, NC when the Carolina Hurricanes rallied in the third period and defeated the VGK, 4-3, in overtime on a Seth Jarvis power play goal on an 80 mph slapshot from the left circle.
Six of the Hurricanes’ 13 playoff wins have been overtime victories. Carolina is 6-0 in playoff OTs, while Vega dropped to 3-1 in overtimes in the postseason. The Vegas loss also snapped the VGK seven-game winning streak.
The Knights had a 2-0 lead on a pair of Brett Howden goals 50 minutes into the game.
But the VGK could not close the deal.
The Hurricanes scored twice in the third period and the Knights’ two-goal lead had evaporated.
VGK coach John Tortorella challenged a goalie interference when the Knights thought they scored the go-ahead goal when it was 2-2 with five minutes left in the third period. But the refs ruled no goal and Carolina scored on the ensuing power play for a 3-2 lead.
In his postgame presser, Tortorella said he would have challenged that “ten out of ten times.”
Torts also said he had “thoughts” about why the game pivoted from a Golden Knights 2-0 lead to a Carolina 3-2 lead in the final period.
Tortorella wrapped up his presser in about five minutes or so.
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The journey to overtime in the third period was a wild one after the Knights pulled out an insane 5-4 win in the Cup Final Game 1 two nights ago.
The NHL’s Best-of-7 championship series is now tied at one game each. The Stanley Cup series shifts to Las Vegas for Game 3 Saturday and Game 4 Tuesday.
This matchup looks destined to go either 6 or 7 games.
A frantic comeback by the Hurricanes in the third period gave the Eastern Conference champs a late-game 3-2 lead with three third period goals.
But the Vegas Golden Knights have a flair for late-game dramatics and the captain, Mark Stone, tied the game with less than a minute and a half to go in regulation.
And it was off to overtime at 3-3.
Both teams were unbeaten in overtime this postseason before tonight’s game.
“We would have liked to have gotten two here,” Stone said after the game. “We will be dialed in for Game 3.”
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Holy Manitoba, there’s that man again.
Manitoba’s Brett Howden took a crafty, looping pass from linemate Mitch Marner, powered through a Hurricanes defender and fired a wrist shot past Carolina netminder Frederik Andersen on Vegas’ second shot of the game in the first period of Stanley Cup Final Game 2 Thursday.
Howden has been a postseason headliner. His goal was his 12th of the playoffs, matching his goal total for the entire regular season.
“Got in little bit of a battle there,” Howden said of muscling off Carolina defender Sean Walker to go in all alone on Andersen.
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Carolina typically scores early and then puts its opponent through a meat grinder of defense that led to 12 wins in 13 games through three rounds of postseason play.
But the Hurricanes strayed from their reputation of being a rock-solid team built on hockey fundamentals and sound defensive play in Game 1 against the VGK.
After assuming a 2-0 lead in the first period, Carolina blew the game, yielding five goals to an opportunistic Golden Knights team that seized the first game of the Best-of-7 championship series. The VGK have been road warriors, entering tonight’s game winning seven of nine road contests in the playoffs.
Tortorella gave his VGK squad a pregame bite of advice: “Do all the little things early. Tortorella warned his players Carolina would try to jump the Knights with a quick start like the ‘canes did in Game 1.’
Carter Hart, who entered the game with a 13-4 record and 2.33 goals against in the playoffs, stopped all Hurricane shots in the first two periods at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Knights have played superbly on the road in the playoffs, piling up a 15-goal differential entering Game 2.
“Advance the puck,” Tortorella urged his players during the first period.
The Knights suffered a major loss when defenseman Brayden McNabb took a slapshot puck in the face and had the guts to skate off the ice to get medical help. He did not return to action in the second period.
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Howden — the 28-year-old who was a Tampa Bay Lightning first round draft pick and a former New York Rangers player — scored his second goal in period 2 when he again forced his way toward the Carolina net and made a McDavid-like power move to shrug off strong Carolina defender Jaccob Slavin and slip the puck past Andersen.
It was Howden’s 13th goal of the playoffs and his tenth goal on the road in the postseason.
Carolina responded with a goal by Logan Stankoven midway through the third period and Vegas led, 2-1. It was Stankoven’s tenth goal of the playoffs.
Vegas saw its lead evaporate when former VGKer and Misfit Will Carrier fed fourth line center Mark Jankowski, who fired a wrister past Hart after Stankoven ignited the usual sold out crowd. It was 2-2, setting up a wild finish.
To watch Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final for any fans affected by the ongoing carriage dispute, all Stanley Cup Final games are available to stream in the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited plan subscribers as well as for free over-the-air on KTNV using a traditional antenna. The games will also be available via alternate national pay TV providers including Fubo, Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV.