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.
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.
- The Associated Press contributed.
From despair to delirium, Canes fans experienced it all on Thursday night. In the end, it culminated with bliss and joy across the Triangle as the Hurricanes gutted out a 4-3 comeback win over Vegas in overtime.
Check out some of the fan reaction from the Lenovo Center and a Moore Square watch party.
The time was coming, the Carolina Hurricanes kept insisting, when their top-line guys and the power play would make big plays.
Turns out, they were right.
Just in time, too, to keep the Hurricanes in their Stanley Cup Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Seth Jarvis blasted a one-timer past Carter Hart on the power play at the 3:56 mark of overtime - a breakthrough moment for Jarvis and a unit that had sputtered throughout the playoffs - to lift the Hurricanes past the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 on Thursday night.
That ended a night that saw Carolina trail 2-0 entering the third period and looking overmatched, rally with three unanswered goals, then regroup after giving up a tying goal late to force OT.
Just as importantly, the Hurricanes went from staring at an 0-2 series deficit after losing twice at home to heading West in a tied series after an abrupt turn of fortune.
Carolina's power play entered the night just 7 of 58 (12.1%) after ranking fourth in the regular season at 24.9%. But that unit struck twice to change everything on Thursday night, first with captain Jordan Staal redirecting Shayne Gostisbehere's shot to beat Carter Hart from the top of the crease for a 3-2 lead with the man advantage.
Then came Jarvis' finish, only the fourth goal of the playoffs for the top-line forward who led the team with 32 regular-season goals.
When he buried the shot from the left circle, he skated toward the blue line and dropped to one knee to slide across the ice while the Hurricanes' bench spilled onto the ice in a stunned celebration.
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is Saturday in Las Vegas.
- The Associated Press contributed.
Seth Jarvis scored on the power play in overtime after Carolina erased a deficit in regulation only to give up a late tying goal, and the Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in a wild Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night to even the series.
Jarvis' heroics 3:56 into OT came after a thrilling third period that included four goals being scored and another getting called off because of goaltender interference.
"It was a lot," said Jarvis, who scored for just the fourth time this playoffs. "We did a great job controlling our emotions. We never got too high, never got too low. Just kept responding, and that's what I love about this group, is we always bounce back."
The Hurricanes had almost nothing going for the first 45 minutes, falling behind by two goals as the Golden Knights took advantage of a couple of scoring chances and locked down defensively.
A couple of strong shifts in the offensive zone just before the midway point of the third brought the crowd back to life because the Hurricanes were buzzing.
"The building is a tough building to play in when it gets going," captain Jordan Staal said. "Obviously, we just needed a spark."
Logan Stankoven made a terrific individual effort to get them on the board, taking the puck away from Rasmus Andersson, going to the net, and banking a shot off Jeremy Lauzon and in with 9:40 remaining in regulation. Less than three minutes later, Mark Jankowski fired a shot past Carter Hart to tie it, flipping the script from Game 1, when Vegas erased a multigoal deficit and won.
"Stanky did a great job getting it going, and Janks with a great shot, and it just carried on from there," Jarvis said.
This is the first time each of the first two games of a Cup final featured a team falling behind by more than a goal and winning.
A big decision by Vegas coach John Tortorella with five minutes left paved the way for it to happen.
Frederik Andersen initially went full extension to deny Ivan Barbashev with the paddle of his stick, and a scrum ensued in the crease that ended with the puck eventually in the net. Referee Jean Hebert waved it off immediately, saying Andersen was pushed into the net and ruling it was goaltender interference.
"I saw a loose puck in front of Freddie," Tortorella said. "Our player stabbed it, didn't touch the goalie. ... I'd challenge it 10 out of 10 times."
Tortorella, after some deliberation, opted to use his coach's challenge, and the on-ice officials, in consultation with the NHL's situation room, confirmed the call on the ice stood.
"The ruling on the play was goaltender interference," executive vice president and director of officiating Stephen Walkom told a pool reporter. "He waved it (off) immediately. He believed that it was under the goalie, and the Vegas player went after the puck and interfered with the goalie and his ability to freeze the puck, and waived it off immediately."
The punishment for a failed challenge is a 2-minute minor penalty. The Hurricanes went on the power play, where they had been so ineffective all night and most of the playoffs.
Not this time. Staal redirected Shayne Gostisbehere's point shot in on the power play. with 4:35 left in regulation.
The Hurricanes killed off a penalty in the intervening time before allowing Stone to tie it with 1:21 left at 6 on 5 with Hart pulled for an extra skater. Carolina defenseman Jaccob Slavin actually knocked the puck into his own net on the play.
Early in overtime, Tomas Hertl tripped Staal to put Carolina back on the power play. That allowed Jarvis to score just Carolina's ninth power play goal of the playoffs.
"That's a step in the right direction," Jarvis said. "Our power play found our groove tonight. It started with Jordo in the third, and there just making the right plays, playing smart and being aggressive and it worked out."
- The Associated Press contributed.
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb left Thursday's Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes after taking a shot to his face in the first period.
McNabb was defending in front of Vegas goalie Carter Hart when Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers fired a shot from inside the blue line. The puck, traveling 87 mph, hit McNabb around the visor. He dropped to the ice before eventually getting to his skates, clutching his nose as he quickly left the ice.
McNabb didn't return to the Vegas bench for the second period, and ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported that he left Lenovo Center to go to a hospital for further evaluation.
Defenseman Jeremy Lauzon moved up to take McNabb's place next to Shea Theodore on the Golden Knights' top pairing.
McNabb has one goal and six assists in 16 playoff games for Vegas, skating 20:53 on average.
Vegas had a 1-0 lead in Game 2 when McNabb left the game.
- ESPN contributed
