The Vegas Golden Knights started the 2026 Stanley Cup Final with a strong comeback win. After falling behind early against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Knights fought back several times and earned an exciting 5-4 victory.

The game featured plenty of momentum changes and big plays. It also showed once again why the Golden Knights are one of the NHL’s best comeback teams. In this piece, we will see three of the biggest takeaways from the game. 

Three Takeaways From the Vegas Golden Knights Game 1 Win

Here are the three biggest takeaways from their Game 1 win.

Tomas Hertl Delivered When Vegas Golden Knights Needed Him Most

Hertl continued his strong form by scoring the biggest goal of the game. He found the net from the slot with 3:24 left in regulation and scored the game-winning goal.

The veteran forward now has four goals in his last eight games after ending a long scoring drought. After the win, Hertl said former San Jose Sharks teammate Joe Pavelski helped him get through that difficult period.

“My old teammate called me– Joe Pavelski–, and I had a 30-minute talk with him,” Hertl said. “He actually helped me a lot. We’re pretty close…. He got me through a lot.”

Hertl’s goal was his second game-winning goal in the last three games. It showed that his confidence has returned at an important time for Vegas.

The ‘Boring Series’ Narrative Didn’t Last Long

Game 1 was far from a defensive battle. Carolina jumped to a 2-0 lead, but Vegas scored three straight goals to take control. The Hurricanes fought back, and both teams exchanged momentum throughout an exciting game before Hertl scored the late winner.

Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella believes more games like this could follow in the series.

“It’s probably going to be that way through the whole series here, back and forth,” Tortorella said.

More importantly, Tortorella praised his team's ability to stay calm no matter what the score was.

“We’re not gonna get into a panic mode by any means,” he added.

Game 1 showed that even two strong defensive teams can produce an exciting and dramatic game when the Stanley Cup is on the line.

Vegas’ Comeback Mentality Continues to Define This Team

At some point, comeback wins are no longer luck. They become part of a team's identity.

The Golden Knights once again came back after falling behind early, something they have done many times during the regular season and playoffs. Even after allowing a goal just 25 seconds into the game, Vegas stayed calm and never panicked.

Defenseman Shea Theodore said the team has a lot of confidence in these situations.

“We were in this situation quite a number of times in the regular season, so I feel like we’re kind of comfortable,” Theodore said.

That confidence has become one of Vegas’ biggest strengths, and Game 1 proved it again.

The Vegas Golden Knights do not always make games easy, but they keep finding ways to win. Their comeback victory gave them an early lead in the series and sent a clear message to Carolina: no lead is safe against this Vegas team.

Can the Hurricanes overcome Vegas' prowess in Game 2, or did Game 1 display a trailer of how the series will end?

Read more at the NHL Fan Central

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Edited by

Souvik Roy