LAS VEGAS -- Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal can't believe the Stanley Cup Final has been this chaotic, with his team and the Vegas Golden Knights trading leads and goals through four intense games.
"It's a wild ride, isn't it?" he said after Carolina evened the series with a 5-3 win in Game 4 on Tuesday night. "Lots of emotion. Lots of ups and downs."
Staal was literally part of those ups and downs on his desperation game-winning goal at 6:32 of the third period, as he dived to the ice while using his stick to knock the puck past the outstretched glove of Vegas goalie Carter Hart, breaking a 3-3 tie.
"That was incredible," Carolina center Logan Stankoven said. "That was insane. We were very excited for him, and he just keeps pulling through for us. He's having a heck of a series."
The Hurricanes captain scored twice in Game 4, having also netted a critical power-play goal in the first period to give Carolina a 3-1 lead. Staal fought off a check and deposited a Hart rebound into the net. The goal answered a Mark Stone tally against netminder Brandon Bussi, who made his first start of the playoffs as Frederik Andersen was scratched.
"We have to do a better job," Vegas coach John Tortorella said. "He's a big man. He's a good player. That's where he lives. We've got to be stronger, and we've got to win that battle."
Staal now has seven goals in the playoffs, including five this series. He became the first player since New York Islanders Hall of Famer Mike Bossy (1982) to score a goal in each of the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final.
Staal (37 years, 272 days) also became the third-oldest player to record a multigoal game in the Stanley Cup Final, following Mark Recchi (43, 2011 SCF) and Igor Larionov (41, 2002).
In many ways, Staal's game winner Tuesday was a microcosm of this series and its dramatic ups and downs.
The play started with forward Seth Jarvis intercepting a Golden Knights clearing attempt. Jarvis continued his frustrating postseason -- a 32-goal scorer who has only four in 17 playoff games -- by failing to convert the chance in front.
But Jarvis didn't quit on the play. He outfought four Golden Knights on the forecheck to chip the puck to winger Nik Ehlers, who had the primary assist on Staal's goal.
"Talk about the highs and lows," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "I don't know what exactly happened. [He] blew that one. And then we get it back and Jordo makes a great play. That's what's crazy about this series, to be honest. It's just very unpredictable, and things are happening that I haven't seen in succession. It's just been crazy."
Ehlers admitted he almost blew the play himself.
"I almost missed the pass because it was kind of rolling," he said. "And then I saw him falling in slow motion. I mean, at the time, you're not laughing, but after it went in, I was laughing pretty hard and celebrating."
The pass handcuffed Staal, who stretched to his right and swatted the puck past Hart.
"For a second there, I wasn't sure if it exactly went in, and I heard everyone go quiet," Staal said. "I heard some guys yelling. I don't know.
"I was in my own world, man. It was an incredible moment, obviously. I just let a big yell and then I celebrated with the guys. I knew it was a big goal."
Big enough to tie the Stanley Cup Final and give Carolina back its home-ice advantage. At 2-2, it's now essentially a best-of-three, with Game 5 back in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday.
Whatever happens, Carolina winger Jackson Blake knows Staal will be in the middle of it.
"He's doing it all right now, and it's a lot of fun to watch," Blake said. "That's what you want your captain to do. He's done so many good things for us. He's so good defensively, but scoring every night, winning faceoffs, penalty killing, on the power play, you name it -- he's doing it. So he's been special and a lot of fun to watch."
