Carolina Hurricanes Gain Lead in Stanley Cup Final Game 5 RALEIGH — Veteran forwards Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho scored second-period goals to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 3-1 lead in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday. The Hurricanes, who had been outscored 9-1 in the second period of the series in previous games, capitalized on their opportunities to take control of the matchup. The series remains tied 2-2 heading into Game 6, set for Sunday in Las Vegas. Svechnikov’s goal came during a power-play opportunity in the second period. He circled the net, evaded Vegas goaltender Carter Hart, and fired a shot through Hart’s legs with 8:02 remaining in the period. This marked Carolina’s fifth power-play goal of the series. Later in the same period, Aho added to the lead after receiving a pass from defenseman Sean Walker. Aho used his skate to control the puck before flipping a shot over Hart, who has allowed 19 goals in the series. The Hurricanes’ offensive surge was complemented by Jordan Staal, the team’s captain, who scored the opening goal of the game in the first period. Staal redirected a shot from Nikolaj Ehlers past Hart with 8:14 left in the first period, extending his scoring streak to five consecutive games. His five goals in the first four games of the Final tied him with hockey legends Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Staal, who has been with the Hurricanes since 2012, was positioned in front of the net, a spot where Vegas coach John Tortorella admitted the team had struggled. Vegas responded with a goal from Pavel Dorofeyev, who scored on a power-play opportunity in the first period.#carolina_hurricanes #vegas_golden_knights #jordan_staal #andrei_svechnikov #sebastian_aho
