* The trend of making history in every game of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final continued into Game 5 as Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal extended his goal streak to five games to tie an NHL record and set a new franchise benchmark for goals in any playoff series, igniting the club’s offense that also included goals from its two all-time playoff scoring leaders, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov.
* Now a win away from their second Stanley Cup championship, Carolina will look to become the sixth team in NHL history – and first in more than a decade – to fall behind 2-1 in a best-of-seven Final and win three straight games to claim the Cup.
* The Stanley Cup will be in the building Sunday night in Las Vegas, where it has been won twice in eight completed seasons since the Golden Knights entered the League – Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals claimed a Game 5 victory there in 2018 and Mark Stone’s hat trick in Game 5 of the 2023 series gave Vegas its first title.
LONG-TIME CANES LEAD OFFENSE IN GAME 5 VICTORY
The Hurricanes are now one win away from the franchise’s second Stanley Cup and three of the longest-serving forwards in franchise history were instrumental in the victory accounting for all four goals: captain Jordan Staal – who has now scored in each of the first five games of the Final – as well as Andrei Svechnikov (2-0—2) and Sebastian Aho, who tallied his first goal of the series. Staal (14 seasons), Aho (10 seasons) and Svechnikov (8 seasons) are the three longest-tenured forwards on Carolina’s current roster (Jordan Martinook is also in his 8th season with Carolina).
* Staal tied the NHL record for longest goal streak in a Stanley Cup Final. Overall, he is the fifth player in NHL history to record a five-game goal streak within a Final and first in more than 50 years, following Yvan Cournoyer (5 GP in 1973 w/ MTL), Jean Beliveau (5 GP in 1956 w/ MTL), Maurice Richard (5 GP in 1951 w/ MTL) and Cyclone Taylor (5 GP in 1918 w/ VMI). Staal, Beliveau, Richard and Taylor all did so from the start of the series. Staal will have a chance to set a new benchmark Sunday in Las Vegas.
* Staal’s goal streak in the Stanley Cup Final comes nearly 20 years after his only other five-game goal streak in the NHL (regular season or playoffs). His only other such run was as an 18-year-old with the Penguins, two years before he won his first Stanley Cup (7-0—7 in 5 GP from Feb. 3-10, 2007). He is the first player in NHL history to register a five-game goal streak at age 18 or younger and 35 or older (regular season and/or playoffs).
* Staal, 37, also tied Brad Marchand (6 goals in 2025 w/ FLA at age 37) for the most goals in a Stanley Cup Final by a player age 37 or older. Overall, Staal is just the fifth player in NHL history to score six or more goals in any series at that age, following Marchand in the Final last year plus Joe Pavelski (8 in 2023 R2 w/ DAL), Teemu Selanne (6 in 2011 CQF w/ ANA) and Steve Thomas (6 in 2001 2001 CSF w/ TOR). Staal’s six goals are a new franchise record for any series (at any age).
* The Hurricanes had been outscored 9-1 in the second period of the series entering Game 5 and hadn’t scored in the middle frame since the opening game of the series, but Svechnikov on the power play and Aho with a nifty skate-to-stick goal, each scored to give Carolina a 3-1 lead. Aho (39-58—97) and Svechnikov (29-30—59) are the two highest-scoring players in franchise playoff history.
* The Hurricanes became the second team in Stanley Cup Final history to score at least four goals in each of the first five games, joining the 1973 Canadiens (6 GP).
MORE KEY CONTRIBUTORS TO CANES VICTORY
It takes contributions up and down the lineup to win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and in addition to the aforementioned performances, a look at some of the other Hurricanes players who played a key role in the Game 5 victory:
* Brandon Bussi was back in net for the second straight game and stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced including 11 of 12 in the third period as Vegas pressed for a comeback. He became the first goaltender in NHL history to make his first two career playoff starts in the Stanley Cup Final and win both games.
* Shayne Gostisbehere (0-2—2) recorded his fourth multi-point game of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs and second in the Final. He has produced 3-9—12 (18 GP) this postseason – only Frantisek Kaberle (4-9—13 in 25 GP) has more in one postseason by a Hurricanes defenseman achieved during their 2006 Stanley Cup championship season.
* Nikolaj Ehlers (0-3—3 in Game 5 & 1-2—3 in Game 4) joined Connor McDavid as the second player in the past 34 years (since 1992) to post consecutive three-point games in the Stanley Cup Final. McDavid had four points in each of his, both while facing elimination in 2024 (Games 4-5).-12041735.png)
MORE FROM A SOLD-OUT LENOVO CENTER
* Erling Haaland and members of the Norwegian World Cup team attended Game 5 ahead of their first FIFA World Cup 2026 match on June 16. Haaland is a striker for Manchester City F.C., and is his country’s all-time leading goalscorer. Norway is making its return to the World Cup for the first time since 1988 and took in hockey action as a break from their training camp, which was set up in Greensboro out of the University of North Carolina.
* P.K. Subban was a special guest on the NHL in ASL broadcast. The three-time Sports Emmy-nominated alternate telecast dedicated completely to the Deaf and hard of hearing community is broadcasting every game of the Stanley Cup Final on the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited plan subscribers (U.S.) and Sportsnet+ (Canada).
* Mike Commodore, part of Carolina’s 2006 Stanley Cup-winning team who was a fan favorite for doing post-game interviews while wearing a Hurricanes robe, sounded the siren to a raucous crowd prior to puck drop of Game 5.
KUCHEROV EMERGES WITH SECOND HART TROPHY IN EPIC THREE-WAY VOTE
Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov is the 2025-26 recipient of the Hart Memorial Trophy, presented “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team,” as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. A journey that involved planes, automobiles and jet skis, Kucherov was surprised with the trophy by Phil Pritchard, the Keeper of the Cup. Kucherov emerged as the winner of an epic three-way Hart Trophy balloting race featuring a trio of former winners of the award – Kucherov, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon – who had combined to win it five times in the eight-season span from 2016-17 through 2023-24. For the first time since the current points allocation system was established in 1995-96, all three finalists received at least 25 percent of all first-place votes.
* Kucherov claimed his second Hart Trophy and first since 2018-19 to become the third player to go seven-plus years between Hart Trophy wins, joining Jean Beliveau (eight years, 1955-56 and 1963-64) and Sidney Crosby (seven years, 2006-07 and 2013-14). Click here for more on his MVP win.
TWO WEEKS FROM 2026 UPPER DECK NHL DRAFT
We are exactly two weeks away from the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft with Round 1 set for Friday, June 26 (7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) from KeyBank Center in Buffalo. A player of intrigue heading into the draft is Wyatt Cullen, the top-ranked prospect out of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program’s Under-18 team with a familiar last name.
* Cullen (No. 13-ranked N.A. skater) is the son of Matt Cullen, a three-time Stanley Cup champion (2006, 2016 & 2017) who skated in 1,516 career NHL games – the most ever by a U.S.-born forward – with the Ducks, Panthers, Hurricanes, Rangers, Senators, Wild, Predators and Penguins from 1997-98 to 2018-19.
* Cullen (16-29—45 in 40 GP) had a better point-per-game rate (1.12) than any player skating for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program’s Under-18 team in 2025-26. He also represented Team USA at the 2026 Under-18 World Championship where he finished third in scoring (3-6—9 in 5 GP) and was named a tournament All-Star.
* Click here for an NHL.com feature on Cullen and here for #NHLStats Pack: Looking Ahead to the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft.
QUICK CLICKS
* Brandon Bussi among top performers in Game 5
* Ethan Belchetz ready for NHL Draft
* Expansion of NHL STREET to be spotlighted at NHL Draft
* Stanley Cup Final Game 4 draws largest audience since 2017
THE CUP WILL BE IN THE BUILDING FOR GAME 6
The Stanley Cup will be back in the building for Game 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, June 14 (8 p.m. ET on ABC, SN, TVAS) with the Hurricanes one victory away from capturing the second championship in franchise history (last: 2006). A Golden Knights victory would require the third Stanley Cup Final Game 7 across eight postseasons (also 2024 & 2019).
