Live updates: Canes look to rebound in game 2 of Stanley Cup Final
Last updated: Thursday, June 4, 2026 6:07PM GMT
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights looks even in a lot of ways, with very little margin for error.
Vegas has won 12 of 16 games in the playoffs, including a sweep of Colorado in the West final, while Carolina has taken 12 of 13. They've allowed the third-fewest and fewest goals against, respectively, while each scoring more than three goals a game.
The action gets underway Tuesday night in the Lenovo Center.
HOW TO WATCH THE STANLEY CUP FINAL
All games begin at 8 p.m. and can be seen on ABC11.
Check back here for live updates throughout the best-of-seven championship series.
Carolina Hurricanes players are helping elevate a regional effort to fight food insecurity, promoting the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina's "Goal to End Hunger Challenge" as demand for assistance rises.
The campaign aims to raise $25,000 to help offset growing costs and meet increasing needs across the 34 counties the food bank serves. Players have recorded messages encouraging fans to get involved as the team plays in its first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 20 years.
"Hi hockey fans. This is Jaccob Slavin inviting you to team up with the Food Bank for the Goal to End Hunger Challenge," Slavin said.
Each night before the puck drops ABC11 will have a show dedicated to the Canes as they make their 2026 Stanley Cup Final run. The half-hour specials will be on TV and our streaming channel at 7:30 p.m. (EST). Caniacs can watch wherever they stream ABC11.
Dan + Shay to perform ahead of Stanley Cup Final game 2 outside Lenovo Center
Grammy winners Dan + Shay will headline Thursday's free concert ahead of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The concert will begin at 5:30 p.m. outside the Lenovo Center.
ABC11 Presents: Chasing the Cup
Each night before the puck drops ABC11 will have a show dedicated to the Canes as they make their 2026 Stanley Cup Final run. The half-hour specials will be on TV and our streaming channel at 7:30 p.m. (EST). Caniacs can watch wherever they stream ABC11.
Lenovo hosts Canes celebration after tough Game 1 loss
Tuesday night's game didn't go the way Hurricanes fans hoped, but that isn't stopping the Triangle from celebrating a historic playoff run.
Despite the loss, excitement remains high as the Carolina Hurricanes make their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 20 years.
Celebration continues at Lenovo headquarters
Right now, Lenovo is hosting a special employee celebration at its headquarters, recognizing the Canes' journey to the championship series.
This playoff run has energized the Triangle, from packed crowds at Lenovo Center to businesses and communities rallying behind the team.
At today's event, employees can enjoy:
Refreshments
Hurricanes swag
Giveaways, including a chance to win tickets to Game 2
Lenovo North America President Ryan McCurdy, Hurricanes legend Shane Willis and Stormy are all expected to join the celebration.
Our Tamara Scott has more.
'We want everyone to feel part of this'
Lenovo leaders say the event is about keeping that momentum and pride alive -- even after a tough loss.
"Our name's on the building. There's pride behind this," said Katie Reed, Lenovo's chief of staff. "We've got signed jerseys, sticks, pucks, and tickets we're giving away because we want everyone to feel like they're a part of this."
Reed acknowledged the disappointment from Tuesday night but emphasized confidence in the team going forward.
"It was a tough loss... but this is what we do. We come back, we pick ourselves up, we keep going," she said. "It's going to be a series, and we're so excited to watch it."
What's next for fans
The Hurricanes return to the ice for the next game at Lenovo Center.
And even when the team heads to Las Vegas, fans can still gather locally:
The Lenovo Center will host watch parties
Tickets are $10
Sales open today at 1:30 p.m. online
Jun 03, 2026, 3:42 AM GMT
Vegas scores late winner for dramatic 5-4 win over Canes
Tomas Hertl took a backhand pass from Colton Sisson and beat Frederik Anderson from the slot with 3:24 left in the third period, lifting the Vegas Golden Knights past the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in Tuesday night's opener of the Stanley Cup Final.
Hertl's finish off Sisson's feed from the right faceoff circle broke a 4-4 tie and pushed the Golden Knights ahead in an entertaining back-and-forth start on the sport's biggest stage.
"It was awesome. It was tough," Hertl said. "I know this building was buzzing. We obviously didn't have the greatest start, but that's kind of our story all season. We never give up. It doesn't matter if we're up, down, we just keep playing."
It marked Vegas' seventh straight win of the playoffs, starting with the last two games of the six-game second-round series against Anaheim and then the shocking four-game sweep of the Presidents' Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.
That series included Vegas erasing a 3-0 deficit to take Game 3, and now the Golden Knights have followed by rallying from another multigoal deficit -- this time 2-0 in the opening period -- against the team that finished second only to the Avs in the regular season.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Thursday in Raleigh, with Vegas already having taken home-ice away from the Hurricanes as it chases a second Cup title in four seasons.
Shea Theodore, Ivan Barbashev, William Karlsson and Brett Howden also scored for Vegas, with Howden's postseason-leading 11th score giving the Golden Knights a 4-3 lead just 1:21 into the third period. Carter Hart finished with 23 saves.
Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice for the Hurricanes, the first coming 25 seconds into the game when he got loose and a rush and blasted one past Hart from the left side on the game's first shot. He followed with a breakaway that gave Carolina a 2-0 lead and sent a charged home crowd into an eruption in the team's first Stanley Cup Final game in two decades.
Jordan Staal and Shayne Gostisbehere each scored tying goals after Vegas had pushed to a lead, with Gostisbehere skating in clean on the left side to blast one past Hart at 11:19 of the third period and tie it once more at 4.
The Hurricanes went 12-1 through three rounds to get back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since coach Rod Brind'Amour captained them to the title in 2006. It also comes amid an eight-year playoff streak that has included at least one series win every time as a regular postseason contender.
Vegas' Keegan Kolesar celebrates a goal against the Hurricanes on Tuesday night in Raleigh.
Carolina swept through Ottawa and Philadelphia before taking the last four games of a five-game win against Montreal to punch through an Eastern Conference Final roadblock. That made the Hurricanes the first team since 1983 to reach the Stanley Cup Final with one loss, and the first since the NHL went to best-of-seven series in all four rounds in 1987.
Meanwhile, Vegas had been getting stronger with every playoff round, winning for 19 of 24 games going back to the unexpected late-season firing of Bruce Cassidy to hire John Tortorella as coach. That included the shocking result against the Avalanche, who managed just seven goals in four games.
Defense had been the standout feature for both teams, in fact, with Carolina having allowed two or fewer goals in 12 of 13 playoff games. But that wasn't the case in Tuesday's fast-paced series opener, with both teams capitalizing on their chances in an entertaining back-and-forth game before Hertl got Vegas the lead for good.
