Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal is playing like a man possessed in the Stanley Cup Final.

The 37-year-old center has been receiving plaudits from many, including former Pittsburgh Penguins teammate Paul Bissonnette.

While speaking on Spittin’ Chiclets, Bissonnette lauded Staal for leading the Hurricanes by example.

“Jordan Staal is leaving it all on the ice,” the 41-year-old said on the podcast, as reported on X.

In the first five games of the Stanley Cup Final, Staal has scored six goals, including at least one in each game against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Bissonnette added, “I think right now he has to be one of the main storylines. For years, he has never scored at this type of rate.”

Staal has become the fourth player in history, after Jean Beliveau, Maurice Richard, and Cyclone Taylor, to start the first five Cup Final games with a goal.

Staal is the fourth captain in history to score six or more goals in a Stanley Cup Final after Wayne Gretzky, Frank Foyston, and Newsy Lalonde.

Only Gretzky has scored seven goals from this group as captain in the Cup Final with the Edmonton Oilers.

The Thunder Bay, Ontario, native entered the final with just two goals in 13 playoff games before delivering when it counts the most.

“It feels like he knows this might be his last opportunity to ever win a Stanley Cup [again],” Bissonnette noted about Staal.

Staal's last championship came in 2009, over seventeen years ago. With the Hurricanes also facing a title drought since 2006, winning a Stanley Cup would end a grim record for both the player and the franchise.

With his championship window closing, Staal is taking matters into his own hands.

Jordan Staal decisive in series-tying Game 4 win

The Carolina Hurricanes were trailing the Stanley Cup Final 2-1 after the first three games despite goals from their captain. With Game 4 played on the road at T-Mobile Arena, there was a real possibility of Vegas extending the series lead, but Staal had other ideas.

In the first period, he restored Carolina's two-goal advantage before Vegas leveled at 3-3 with two goals in the second period.

After that, Staal scored the vital fourth goal for the Canes to give them a 4-3 advantage in the third period. Winger Nikolaj Ehlers scored an empty-netter in the last minute and secured the win.

With the series tied, the veteran center continues to play a crucial role for his team.

“I’m having so much fun out there. Just love grinding with these guys and just finding ways to get wins, and finding a way to get that mug,” Staal said in the postgame interview, as per Clutchpoints via Yahoo Sports.

The Hurricanes are currently 3-2 ahead in the Cup Final series against the Golden Knights.

Will Jordan Staal score a goal in Game 6 and lead the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup title? Give us your prediction in the comments.

Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Sijo Paul