Staal among top performers for Hurricanes in Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Who played well in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final? Sometimes it’s easy to tell, sometimes it isn’t. NHL.com graded the players in the second game of the best-of-7 series at Lenovo Center on Thursday, a 4-3 overtime win by the Carolina Hurricanes against the Vegas Golden Knights on Seth Jarvis’ goal at 3:56. Here are the players who stood out the most.

Honor roll

Jordan Staal (Carolina Hurricanes): The Carolina captain put his team ahead 3-2 on the power play late in the third period. At 37 years, 267 days, he became the second-oldest player in NHL history to score in the first two games of a Stanley Cup Final. Montreal Canadiens defenseman Larry Robinson did it at 37 years, 349 days. Staal also is the 12th player age 37 or older to score multiple goals in a Cup Final. Brad Marchand (six in 2025), Corey Perry (three in 2025), Martin St. Louis (two in 2014) and Mark Recchi (three in 2011, two in 2006) are the only others to do it in the past 20 years. 

Brett Howden (Vegas Golden Knights): The clutch forward was at it again in Game 2. Howden scored the game-opening goal when he fought off a hold-up attempt by defenseman Sean Walker, received a punt pass from Mitch Marner and beat Frederik Andersen to the glove side. It was the second shot on goal by the Golden Knights in the first 13:33. Four Vegas shots later, it was 2-0 at 7:23 of the second period. This time, Howden got position on defenseman Jaccob Slavin, pushed aside the defender’s stick check as he cut across the crease and powered the puck past Andersen with one hand on his stick. Howden has scored an NHL-high 13 goals in 18 games in these Stanley Cup Playoffs after finishing with 12 in 58 regular-season games. 

Logan Stankoven (Carolina Hurricanes): The forward can’t stop scoring this postseason. He pulled the Hurricanes within 2-1 with a one-man effort midway through the third period. Stankoven hounded Rasmus Andersson behind the net to force a turnover, claimed the puck and changed directions before scoring on a wraparound that banked in off a Vegas player in front. It was his team-leading 10th goal of the postseason, tying Eric Staal, who scored 10 in 2009, for the second-most in franchise history. Rod Brind’Amour, Carolina’s current coach, scored 12 during the team's Stanley Cup championship run in 2006.

Mark Jankowski (Carolina Hurricanes): The fourth-line forward tied the game 2-2 at 12:46 of the third, rifling a shot past Carter Hart after an incredible backhand pass from William Carrier, who was falling to the ice. Jankowski’s first goal of the postseason was the latest tying goal in a Stanley Cup Final in Hurricanes history, besting the mark set by Shayne Gostisbehere (51:19) in Game 1 on Tuesday. 

Mitch Marner (Vegas Golden Knights): The forward assisted on the game-opening goal and on Mark Stone’s tying goal in the waning minutes. The NHL leader in these playoffs with 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists) in 18 games, he has 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) on the road, the most through 10 away games in the past 16 postseasons. Jonathan Toews, then of the Chicago Blackhawks, had 18 road points in 2010, the only player in the past 30 years with more through 10 road games.

Stock watch

Mark Stone: ⬆️ The Vegas captain saved the game for the Golden Knights after they were blitzed for three goals in a span of 5:05 and were facing the possibility of losing a game it seemed they had in the bag. Instead, Stone resuscitated them with his sixth -- and biggest -- goal of the postseason at 18:39 to tie it with Hart pulled for an extra attacker.

Hurricanes power play: ⬆️ Carolina ended a run of power-play futility when Jordan Staal scored at 15:25 of the third. The Hurricanes then scored the winner on the power play as well. Before that, Carolina was 7-for-60 (11.7 percent) this postseason, including failing to convert on its first two power plays in Game 2. The Hurricanes only managed one shot on goal on the first two power plays Thursday after registering no shots on two man-advantage opportunities in Game 1. Carolina is now 5-for-32 (15.6 percent) at home with the man-advantage this postseason.

The Golden Knights defensemen: ⬆️ Brayden McNabb left the game with an injury at 10:52 of the first period after being struck under the visor by a slap shot from Nikolaj Ehlers. He never returned, and the Golden Knights used a five-defenseman rotation for the remainder of the game. Jeremy Lauzon, who returned from injury in Game 1, saw his minutes jump (21:08) and was not fazed by the extra work. The five remaining defensemen also combined for 12 blocked shots, including a huge one by Dylan Coghlan midway through the third.

Cam Ward: ⬆️ The goaltending hero from the Hurricanes’ 2006 title team was back at his old stomping grounds on Thursday. He did a hair-raising and pulse-spiking hype video, then sounded the siren to start Game 2. He had a high bar to meet after 2006 teammate Eric Staal almost obliterated the siren with his Game 1 turn at pumping up the crowd, but he met it.

The crowd: ⬆️ There was every reason to lose hope as the game dragged on and Carolina couldn’t score, but the fans never gave up, spurring the team on through the darkest stretches of the game. They were rewarded with one of the greatest comeback sequences in the history of postseason hockey. The crowd was as loud at the start of overtime as it was for the initial puck drop almost three hours earlier.

What we learned

Hurricanes refuse to fold

No matter how many punches the Golden Knights throw at the Hurricanes, they keep getting up. In Game 2, they fell behind 2-0 but scored twice in a 2:26 span of the third period to tie the game and then took a lead with a power-play goal before surrendering the tying goal with 1:21 remaining. This came two nights after Carolina forged ties after blowing a 2-0 lead and falling behind 4-3. 

Things turn quickly for Vegas

The Golden Knights were cruising with a 2-0 lead but let the Hurricanes back in it when Stankoven scored a workmanlike goal. With the game suddenly tied 2-2 late in the third, Vegas thought it had gone ahead, but it was ruled that Ivan Barbashev interfered with Andersen in the crease prior to the puck entering the net with 5:00 left. The Golden Knights unsuccessfully challenged the call, then gave up the go-ahead goal on the ensuing power play before Stone forced overtime.