The mood on the Carolina Hurricanes' flight back to Raleigh is going to be brighter after Game 4. Jackson Blake summed up that emotion best when asked about returning home with the Stanley Cup Final tied rather than facing a daunting 3-1 series deficit.

“It’s a lot nicer for sure,” said Blake in response to Kate Rogerson for ABC11 WTVD. “You know, obviously, it doesn’t matter what the series is, though. If you told me that I would be playing in the Stanley Cup Final no matter what the series was at, at the beginning of the year, I would have been super happy and ecstatic.”

He also talked about Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s message to players with a 3-3 score line going into the third period against the Vegas Golden Knights.

“Roddy [Brind’Amour] even came in the third period and said, ‘You know, we got to grind this one out because this is the most important period so far of the series’. So I’m really excited to go back home,” he explained.

In Game 4, Blake provided an assist for Logan Stankoven’s opener for the Hurricanes at 1:06 in the first period. Shortly after, he scored at 3:28 with an assist from Taylor Hall and Nikolaj Ehlers, making it 2-0.

After that, it started to become quite a battle between Vegas and Carolina, scoring one each through their captains, Mark Stone and Jordan Staal, respectively, to end the first period 3-1. In the second period, the Golden Knights scored twice to level it at 3-3 through William Karlsson and Brett Howden.

But in the all-important third period, the Hurricanes restored their lead through Staal’s second before Nikolaj Ehlers scored an empty-netter in the last minute for a 5-3 win.

What did Jackson Blake’s dad and ex-NHL player Jason Blake say about his son’s success?

Jackson Blake’s dad, Jason Blake, played 871 games in the NHL for four teams across 13 seasons without ever making it past the first round of the Stanley Cup Final.

“I’m just super proud,” said Jason while speaking to The Athletic last week about his son’s success in the NHL. “As a parent, you always want your kids to grow up to be better than you at whatever that is, whether it’s hockey or in business or whatever — I don’t even know how to put it in words.”

After being selected as No. 109 overall in the 2021 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, Blake had to work really hard in his collegiate career to land a spot on the roster. He earned his NHL debut on April 16, 2024, before playing 161 games across the last two seasons for 87 points (39G / 48A).

In the Stanley Cup Playoffs across the last two postseasons, Blake has made 32 appearances for 24 points (9G / 15A) in his young career. He is joint-first with 18 points (6G / 12A) in 17 games alongside Taylor Hall for Carolina this year in the playoffs.

Will the duo of Jackson Blake and Taylor Hall continue to make a big impact in the Stanley Cup Final? Tell us your opinion in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason