Vegas beat Carolina in the first match of the Stanley Cup Finals

The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in the first match of the final playoff series of the National Hockey League (NHL). The meeting, which took place in Raleigh on Tuesday, June 2, ended with a 5-4 victory for the guests.

Shi Theodore scored goals for the winners (14th minute), Russian striker Ivan Barbashev (21st), William Karlsson (25th), Brett Howden (42nd) and Tomas Gertl (57th). Nikolai Ehlers scored doubles for the home team (1st and 13th), as well as goals from Jordan Staal (33rd) and Shane Gostisber (52nd).

Russian forward of "Carolina" Andrey Svechnikov made one shot on goal during the match, blocked one shot and used three forceful techniques. His teammate, defender Alexander Nikishin, scored with one shot on target and one power play. Vegas striker Pavel Dorofeev shot three times, but did not excel in effective actions.

The score in the series of up to four wins in the Stanley Cup finals-2026 became 1-0 in favor of Vegas. The second match of the confrontation will also be held in Raleigh, it is scheduled for the night of June 5, Moscow time.

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"Carolina" and "Vegas" with four Russians in their squads will play the Stanley Cup

At least two Russian hockey players may become Stanley Cup winners in 2026, it was reported on May 30. This was evidenced by the results of determining the finalists of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which were the Carolina Hurricanes hockey club and HC Vegas Golden Knights.