Hurricanes-Golden Knights Game 4 takeaways, grades, questions

Asking why the Carolina Hurricanes or Vegas Golden Knights feel the need to get a lead at any point before the last second of the third period might be one of the greatest philosophical questions of our lifetime.

The Hurricanes had a pair of two-goal leads before the Golden Knights came back to level the score late in the second period. But the Hurricanes struck twice in the third for a 5-3 win in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final to tie the series at 2-2.

With the series shifting back to Raleigh for Game 5, here’s a look at what happened, why it all happened the way it did and what possibly lies ahead the rest of the way.

Noah Hanifin sustaining what appeared to be an injury in Game 3 led to him being moved to the third pairing. That led to Jeremy Lauzon being elevated to the second defense pairing alongside Rasmus Andersson. Golden Knights coach John Tortorella stuck with that alignment going into the first period of a Game 4 that saw his team fall into an early 2-0 hole.

Shea Theodore playing the outlet pass that freed captain Mark Stone for the goal that cut the Canes’ lead to 2-1 was just the start of what looked like another comeback in a series that has been defined by who scores last. Though falling into an 0-2 hole was far from ideal, this series has shown there’s a path back no matter the deficit. Especially when the second period arrives.

The Golden Knights got two goals in the second period of Game 4, and Vegas has now outscored Carolina 9-1 in the middle frame across the series. William Karlsson cut the lead to 3-2 within the first five minutes of the period Tuesday before Brett Howden tied it with less than three minutes remaining in the second.

That’s what made how Vegas played in the third period a bit surprising. The way the Knights have carved a niche late in games has become a hallmark of how they’ve made it this far. So to see the third period finish without the Golden Knights doing something? That’s a big reason this series is tied going back to Raleigh.

Brandon Bussi replacing Frederik Andersen might not be too surprising. But to see the Hurricanes have Pyotr Kochetkov, who has been out since late December, serve as the backup with Andersen listed as a healthy scratch? That came as a shock considering Andersen was a legitimate contender for the Conn Smythe Award entering Game 1. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Game 4 was a chance for the team to rest Andersen.

Brind’Amour also chose to move Jordan Martinook to the first line in exchange for Seth Jarvis, who began the game on the third line.

Logan Stankoven scored 66 seconds into the game and Jackson Blake doubled the lead more than two minutes later, accomplishing two things. The first is that the Hurricanes were getting production from two members of a top six that had struggled with scoring throughout the first three games. The second is that they once again built a lead that was likely to come under threat at some point.

And it did. Stone started the captain’s battle by scoring first before the ageless Jordan Staal lit the lamp to restore that two-goal lead — only for the Hurricanes to fall prey to a second period that has proved to be their collective Achilles’ heel.

Staal scoring the eventual winning goal a little more than six minutes into the third period was massive. So was the empty-netter by Nikolaj Ehlers that pushed it to a 5-3 lead. But another item of note was the way the Hurricanes prevented the Golden Knights from mounting a third-period comeback, especially in the last five minutes, a portion of the game that has seen both teams cause problems for the other.

Players to watch in Game 5

May 20 was the last time Dorofeyev scored a goal, and that was in the Western Conference finals against the Colorado Avalanche. May 22 was the last time he had a point. That is one of the reasons he began Game 4 on the third line.

Dorofeyev has posed a threat in the offensive zone at times lately, and he had a few of those moments in Game 4 only to come away with nothing. Dorofeyev scoring 10 postseason goals during entering the Stanley Cup Final had him in the discussion to win the Conn Smythe Award.

It still might be a possibility. But for that to happen, and for the Golden Knights to enhance their chances of winning the series, they need their leading goal scorer in the regular season to tap into what allowed him to be one of the most dangerous players through the first three rounds.

Scoring two goals in any game of a Stanley Cup Final is going to lead to a player receiving attention. A 37-year-old scoring two goals in any game of a Final is only going to amplify that attention.

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Jordan Staal’s power-play goal helps Canes reclaim 2-goal lead

What makes Staal’s performance stand out beyond the obvious reasons is how he is another example of Carolina’s depth. Half of the Hurricanes’ goals coming into Game 4 had been scored beyond their top-six group of forwards. That continued Tuesday with Staal, a member of that acclaimed supporting cast who has been one of the best players on either team during this series.

Big questions for Game 5

Was Game 4 a one-off or something more for the Golden Knights?

Losses are going to happen. But what made the Golden Knights’ latest defeat so peculiar was how it lacked several of the characteristics that have come to define them throughout this Stanley Cup Final. Those quickfire goals? They came from the Canes, not the Golden Knights. Having a period in which they make the most of their possessions? The Golden Knights had a third-period shot share of 62.5% in 5-on-5 play only to fail to score. And when it came to making a late push? They tried but fell short.

What does life look like for Bussi and Andersen going forward?

Bussi stopped 18 of the 21 shots he faced with nine of them coming in a third period that saw the Golden Knights heavily control possession. Carolina was one of those teams that relied on using a tandem in goal to navigate the regular season. Only to then see Andersen play every game in the playoffs before he was pulled in Game 3 of the Final and replaced by Bussi.

With Kochetkov serving as the backup, it’s possible that Game 4 was a chance for Andersen to receive a reset given that his postseason workload had been among the most demanding of any goaltender’s to this point. He made 15 straight starts this postseason. The most he had made in a row during the regular season was two.

But it’s also possible that Bussi will remain the starter. Either way, this situation is another example of why teams invest in building reliable depth in the net.