LAS VEGAS — The Carolina Hurricanes haven’t lost two games in a row since mid-January. They really don’t want it to happen in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday.
A 5-4 loss in double overtime on Saturday has the Hurricanes trailing 2-1 in the best-of-7 series.
“It’s a massive game,” Carolina captain Jordan Staal said. “I mean, 3-1 or 2-2, what are you going to pick? We know it’s huge.”
It is for both teams, because the last thing the Golden Knights want is for the Hurricanes to find a way back after such a deflating loss in Game 3 on Saturday, when they rallied from down 4-0 in the third period only to lose on Shea Theodore’s shot off the end boards at 5:38 of the second overtime.
“A win is a win,” Vegas captain Mark Stone said. “Would we have liked to close that game out a lot earlier? Of course. But they’re a good team, and they’re not just going to sit down and roll over. So, we’ve got to have that killer instinct when we get those leads.”
A lead has not meant much in this series.
Carolina led 2-1 in the first period of Game 1. The Golden Knights had a 3-2 lead less than five minutes into the second period, and they won 5-4.
Vegas led 2-0 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the third period of Game 2. Just over five minutes later, it was 3-2 Hurricanes. They won 4-3 in overtime.
The Golden Knights led 4-0 after 40 minutes in Game 3. They won 5-4 in double-overtime.
It’s the first Stanley Cup Final in history to feature a team erasing a multigoal deficit in three straight games.
“I have zero answers as far as the lead changes going back and forth,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “We’re trying to play defense. They’re trying to play defense. Give the credit to the players as far as some of the plays they’ve made and just some of the bounces that have gone to each team.”
Teams that take a 3-1 lead in a best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final have historically gone on to win the series 97.4 percent of the time (38-1).
“We know what time of year it is, we know how important the game is,” Stone said. “We’ve been in these situations plenty of times over the last five to six years, so nothing changes for us.”
