This marked the first time in Stanley Cup Final history that each team has scored three or more goals in each of the first four games.
Carolina has yet to lose back-to-back games since mid-January. They are now 25-7 this season, including playoffs, when following a loss.
Hurricanes rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi made his first start of the postseason, and of his career, after coming in for Frederik Andersen in Game 3.
In Game 4, he came away with a crucial win for the first of his postseason career, putting up 18 saves. The Canes improved to 13-10 all-time in Game 4 road games, while the Knights fell to 4-2 at home.
Meanwhile, Vegas' Carter Hart is the first goalie ever to give up four or more goals in each of the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final.
He finished Game 4 with 23 saves.
Game 5 between the Canes and Golden Knights is scheduled for Thursday, June 11th, as it heads back to Carolina, who are 6-3 all-time when the series in which they started as the home team is tied 2-2.
Recap & Highlights
The Canes and Golden Knights wasted no time in turning Game 4 into complete mayhem.
Carolina scored the first goal within the first minutes after puck-drop, then followed it up with their second to get out to an early 2-0 shortly after, within a span of three minutes to start the game.
Logan Stankoven scored the first, his 11th of the postseason, with assists from Jalen Chatfield (7) and Jackson Blake (12), with the latter of the two scoring the second goal for his sixth.
Taylor Hall (12) and Nikolaj Ehlers (6) assisted on Blake's goal.
Stankoven is just now one goal shy of tying his own head coach, Rob Brind'Amour's single postseason record of 12.
It also marked his seventh go-ahead goal of the postseason, sitting two behind Sidney Crosby (9) for the most by an active player. Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers, 2025) and Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning, 2021) head eight.
Hall needs one point this series to set the Hurricanes franchise record for most road points by one player in a single postseason, currently tied with Ron Francis (2002) and Cory Stillman (2006).
Then, Vegas responded with a goal of their own to slash the lead to 2-1.
Mark Stone scored his seventh of the playoffs, with assists from Shea Theodore (11) and Bayden McNabb (9).
But Carolina wouldn't be denied another chance, as their captain responded to Vegas' own captain to go up 3-1.
Jordan Staal became the oldest player (37) in Stanley Cup Final history to score in the first four games of the series, bringing his postseason total up six, and the first captain of any team to ever do so.
After being denied a possible goal at the buzzer for the end of the first period due to the puck not crossing the goal line in time, the second period was all Vegas on the scoreboard.
Only 4:22 into the second, William Karlsson found the net for his third goal of the postseason to make it a 3-2 game, with assists from Rasmus Andersson (6) and Mitch Marner (19).
With just under three minutes left in the second, Vegas would find the net to cut the lead to one, making it 3-3 before heading into the third.
Brett Howden scored his 14th goal, marking the most-ever by a single Golden Knights player during a postseason.
His goal made this series the first in NHL Stanley Cup Playoff history that at least four games saw multi-goal comebacks to tie their respective games.
Heading into the third, Carolina had outshot Vegas 23-12, and it would take almost a full seven minutes this time until either team saw a change on the scoreboard.
Despite Vegas having a pristine opportunity with a power play just 1:32 into the third after Carolina's K'Andre Miller got a two-minute minor for tripping, the Golden Knights couldn't take advantage, making it 0-for-3 on power plays at that point.
And who else but Carolina's 37-year-old captain to give them the 4-3 lead a few minutes later?
Staal scored an acrobatic goal for his seventh of the postseason to put the Canes up before the second half of the third period began.
Ehlers recorded his second assist of the game, and seventh of the postseason.
Staal became the third-oldest player ever to record a multi-goal game in the SCF, sitting behind Mark Recchi (43, Game 3 of 2011 SCF) and Igor Larionov (41, Game 3 of 2002 SCF).
Following a crazy empty-net goal from Ehlers, making it his seventh of the postseason, that was all she wrote from Game 4.
