Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes live updates: Stanley Cup Final 2026 Game 2 start time, picks and predictions

The matchup between Vegas’ top line, centered by Jack Eichel, and Carolina’s shutdown line, centered by Staal, was expected to be one of the biggest factors of the Cup Final. Through one game, it didn’t disappoint. The lines saw plenty of each other on Tuesday night, with Staal’s line coming out on top in Round 1.

Vegas coach John Tortorella started the game with Eichel, Barbashev and Pavel Dorofeyev. Rod Brind’Amour countered for Carolina with Staal, Ehlers and Jordan Martinook, and they scored on the opening shift. The line struck again in the first period when Chatfield intercepted Eichel’s pass at the Carolina blue line and sprung Ehlers for another breakaway goal.

Eichel’s line punched back early in the second period, tying the game 2-2 with a goal by Barbashev. It was a great shift by Vegas’ No. 1 center. He stole the puck along the wall as Carolina attempted to break it out of the zone, then retrieved his own missed shot and fed a pass to Barbashev in the slot. Barbashev rang his shot off the post and in for his sixth goal of the playoffs.

Staal answered with a goal of his own midway through the second period to tie the game 3-3. It was a snipe of a shot over Hart’s blocker following a giveaway by Vegas high in the zone. The fingerprints of this matchup were all over Tuesday’s game, on both ends of the ice, and that’s likely to continue.