Hurricanes’ comeback, OT win in Game 2 provides ‘new kind of life’ in Cup Final

Game 1 was fun. Game 2 was even more dramatic.

Halfway through the third period, the Golden Knights led 2-0 and looked like they were about to take a 2-0 series lead back to Las Vegas. They had won seven straight games, including four straight on the road, and were 8-0 when leading after two periods in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They were smothering the Hurricanes defensively.

One of the loudest arenas in the NHL had gone quiet.

“Somebody had to step up,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Somebody had to make a play, and that’s what happened.”

Carolina forward Logan Stankoven, 5-foot-8, 165 pounds, won a puck battle behind the net with Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson, who is 6-1, 202. He took the puck to the front of the net, and it went in off Vegas defenseman Jeremy Lauzon at 10:20, putting the Hurricanes on the board.

Just like that, the arena was loud and rowdy again, the fans roaring and chanting, “Let’s go, Canes!”

“The building got going,” Carolina captain Jordan Staal said. “Obviously, we just needed a spark, and ‘Stanky’ did a great job obviously getting us going. The building is a tough building to play in when it gets going like that, and the boys start to feel pretty good about themselves, and we got going.”