Live updates: Carolina takes 3-2 series lead into game 6 against Vegas

The Carolina Hurricanes have reclaimed home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Final.

Not that it's mattered much in this series.

The Hurricanes split two road games with the Vegas Golden Knights to return home for Thursday's Game 5 with the best-of-seven series tied 2-2. Normally that would be a reassuring feeling for a team that that has long thrived in its own building in front of its raucous crowd.

But this series has been a thriller with multi-goal comebacks, two overtime games, tight finishes and alternating wins. The only reliable element is its unpredictability.

"You get to this stage, you wouldn't get here if you didn't play well on the road," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour told reporters in Las Vegas on Wednesday. "So I don't know how much of an advantage it's been or will be. I hope it is, but I'm certainly not counting on that."

How the Hurricanes evened the series

The Hurricanes are coming off Tuesday's 5-3 road win that leveled the series. The standout reason was 37-year-old captain Jordan Staal continuing his turn-back-the-clock performance in this series by scoring twice, including batting in the go-ahead goal as he flopped onto his belly in the third period.

It also came with a change in net with Brind'Amour turning to Brandon Bussi, the waiver-wire wonder who won 31 regular-season games before veteran Frederik Andersen took over for the playoffs.

Bussi responded with 18 saves in his first career playoff start, coming after he took over for the third period of Game 3 as Carolina erased a 4-0 deficit before Vegas won 5-4 in double overtime.

The Hurricanes even had a productive night with their beleagured power play, which converted on Staal's first goal and led to another from Jackson Blake just four seconds after the man advantage expired.

It was Carolina's 14th straight win when coming off a loss, a run that started back-to-back losses on Jan. 12 and 13.

"We go through very honestly what we did good, what we did bad, and guys have responded to the message," top-line center Sebastian Aho said. "Everyone goes through their video and talks about their stuff. But I thought we've battled hard, we've worked our tails off all year. And also in those little details the coaches have asked, we've responded."

Carolina looks to re-establish a home edge

The stage is set for a best-of-three showdown to hoist the Cup, with a potential Game 7 also set for Raleigh.

Dating to the first full season after the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hurricanes lead the NHL in home regular-season wins (144) and home points percentage (.737), according to SportRadar. The Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning are the only other two teams in the league with a points percentage higher than .700 in that same stretch going back to the 2021-22 season.

That success has continued in the playoffs, with Carolina's 28 postseason wins at home also leading the league through those years.

Yet they have also lost twice at home in the past five games going back to the East final against Montreal.

Vegas opened this series by rallying from a 2-0 first-period deficit to win 5-4. Game 2 saw the Hurricanes rally from a 2-0 deficit in the third period, then regroup from giving up a late tying goal to win on Seth Jarvis' one-timer in overtime. And both teams have seven of their 14 postseason wins coming on the road.

The Hurricanes and Knights have offered at least one element of predictable play.

The second period has been all Vegas in this series, with the Golden Knights outscoring Carolina 9-1 while taking a 40-25 shot advantage. Yet the Hurricanes have had the third-period edge, outscoring the Golden Knights 10-3 while the shots have been closer to even (40-37 Vegas).

"Our crowd's amazing, you get last change, but like you said: it is split," defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. "I think the way both teams play it's a matter of just sticking to your game. We're both trying to play the same game with a few slight differences. It's just whoever can play their game better and more consistently."

- The Associated Press contributed

The Town of Cary is getting in on the watch party fun as the Carolina Hurricanes eye a Stanley Cup title.

Residents are invited to Downtown Cary Park for the free event on the Great Lawn.

Cary will host watch parties for Game 5 on Thursday, as well as Game 6 on Sunday, and again if there is a Game 7.

A Game 7 would be on Wednesday. All games start at 8 p.m. and are televised on ABC11.

People are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Outside food and non-alcoholic beverages are permitted. Beer, wine, and other refreshments will be available for purchase at The Bark Bar. Outside alcohol is not permitted.

Expect increased traffic in the area during this time and plan to allow extra time for parking.

SEE ALSO: Carolina Hurricanes Watch Parties

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Red Hat Amphitheater will host a Carolina Hurricanes watch party for Game 5 on Thursday.

ABC11's DeJuan Hoggard is the emcee for the watch party.

The event is free and open to the public, rain or shine.

Gates open at 6:30 p.m. Puck drop is at 8 p.m. and will be televised on ABC11.

Planning to go? Here are a few helpful things to know:

• Leave your chairs at home - Red Hat Amphitheater has seating in Sections 1 - 7. No lawn chairs allowed nor for rent. Small blankets allowed for lawn seating.

• No outside food and beverages, no coolers - Red Hat Amphitheater will have Canes-themed items for sale at their bars, concessions, and food truck. Plus, Hollywood Taco Shop food truck and Two Roosters ice cream.

• Standard clear bag policy will be in effect

• Stay hydrated with water refill stations - attendees can bring in the gates one factory sealed bottle of water up to one gallon, or any empty reusable water bottle up to one gallon in size that can be refilled at venue water refill stations.

• Cool off with fans and cooling stations - small handheld portable fans and neck fans are allowed inside Red Hat Amphitheater. The venue will also have cooling stations with large AC electric fans.

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You would never know it by the way they're playing on the team, but undrafted Carolina Hurricanes players have become vital to teams' success.

The undrafted players in this year's Stanley Cup Final have made an impact while sharing the same stage as first-round picks such as Carolina's Taylor Hall and Vegas' Mitch Marner. However, players such as Jalen Chatfield are doing it as members of what is one of the largest and more underappreciated groups in the NHL.

Going unnoticed during the NHL draft may have actually motivated them through their journey.

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield never got the chance to hear his name called at the NHL draft. It's been more than a decade since every team passed him by when he was eligible, and during that time, he found a way to make an impression.

He went to three different development and rookie camps across the league before eventually playing his first NHL game in January 2021 with the Vancouver Canucks.

Read full story here

"There's no guarantee that people are going to give you these opportunities," said Chatfield's agent, Darren Ferris, who also represents Hall and Marner. "When you go to these training camps, you have to earn every inch. That's what makes Jalen special. He never let being undrafted define him."

Undrafted players are among the largest concentration of players in the NHL. Nearly 15% of the players who skated in at least one game in the 2025-26 regular season were undrafted, according to ESPN Research. Those undrafted players also accounted for the third-largest group in the NHL -- the only groups with a higher percentage were first-rounders (35.65%) and second-rounders (16.09%).

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.

The puck drops at 8:00 p.m. on game nights and you can watch live on ABC11.

Download the ABC11 App for game updates and score