{"id":1610,"date":"2026-06-03T09:03:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1610"},"modified":"2026-06-03T09:03:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:03:14","slug":"how-early-hurricanes-goal-in-game-1-nearly-made-nhl-history-and-a-vegas-goal-did","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1610","title":{"rendered":"How early Hurricanes goal in Game 1 nearly made NHL history \u2014 and a Vegas goal did"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

In the first period of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, Carolina roared out to a fast start.<\/p>\n

Read more Work on Durham urban wetland to reroute downtown traffic for months. What\u2019s coming?<\/a><\/p>\n

But it wasn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n

Nikolaj Ehlers scored twice in the first period, the fastest two goals by one player from the start of a Stanley Cup Final in more than 35 years.<\/p>\n

Just 25 seconds into the opening game \u2014 which Vegas won, 5-4 \u2014 Ehlers stunned fans with a goal from the left circle, firing it past goalie Carter Hart\u2019s glove. It was the third-fastest goal to start a National Hockey League championship series, according to NHL Stats.<\/p>\n

It was also the fastest opening goal since 2006 \u2014 yes, the last time Carolina went to the Stanley Cup Final. That year, the opening goal in Game 5 of the Cup Final in the Raleigh rink came just 16 seconds in, off the stick of Edmonton\u2019s Fernando Pisani.<\/p>\n

It also made him the second player on record to score on the first shot on goal to open a Stanley Cup Final.<\/p>\n

Ehlers scored for the second time 12 minutes after his first in a similar dominant breakaway, deking past Hart. That made him the first player to score twice in an opening period since 1989.<\/p>\n

But Ehler\u2019s first period dominance couldn\u2019t help Carolina fend off Vegas.<\/p>\n

In the second period, Knights forward Ivan Barbashev matched Ehlers\u2019 need for speed, scoring 30 seconds in. That earned the game a place in the NHL history books: It was the first time in Stanley Cup Final history that the puck hit the back of the net in the first 30 seconds of both the first and second periods.<\/p>\n

Read more For a moment, UNC, Duke, State fans can all shake hands and agree \u2014 on the Canes<\/a><\/p>\n

The Knights went on to score four more times and beat the Canes in the first game of the Stanley Cup Final.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a great start,\u201d said Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind\u2019Amour. \u201cAnd then we had a pretty bad turnover to get them back in the game, when there\u2019s really no reason for it. … We just kind of just tossed it away, and then they made us pay on it. You got to give them credit. That\u2019s a great team. But we were right there. We made a few mistakes that we got to try to clean up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Canes had a similar ill-fated fast start in their last Game 1: the Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadiens. In that game, Seth Jarvis scored 33 seconds in. Then, the Canadiens put up four straight goals. The Canes lost, 6-2.<\/p>\n

Like in the Montreal series, Game 2 now becomes vitally important for the Canes. In the second game in the Eastern Conference Final, the Canes won in overtime, 3-2, going on to win the series.<\/p>\n

This is Ehlers\u2019 first year with Carolina. Before he signed a six-year, $51 million contract with the Canes this past July, the Danish left wing spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Winnipeg Jets.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just brings an absolutely dynamic level of skating and skill with the puck, and a creativity,\u201d Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said Monday at the Stanley Cup Final media day. \u201cNobody goes outside the structure because it\u2019s a very well-coached team, but he adds things to it that aren\u2019t what we would ask a lot of players to do. Having that kind of ability on the team, someone who can just create scoring chances that haven\u2019t been there, it always makes you more dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Canes-Golden Knights Game 1 and Causey concerns: Tuesday\u2019s top stories<\/a><\/p>\n

Jalen Chatfield assisted on both Ehlers\u2019 first period goals.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 9:35 PM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nikolaj Ehlers scored 25 seconds into Game 1 and added a second goal to stun Vegas Golden Knights and energize the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1609,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nHow early Hurricanes goal in Game 1 nearly made NHL history \u2014 and a Vegas goal did - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=1610\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How early Hurricanes goal in Game 1 nearly made NHL history \u2014 and a Vegas goal did - 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