Sean Walker as Svechnikov scores twice in Game 5
sean walker mattered most Thursday night because Andrei Svechnikov scored twice on the power play and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 in Game 5. The win put Carolina on the brink of its second Stanley Cup title in franchise history.
Svechnikov’s power-play burst
Svechnikov delivered both goals on the power play in the 4-2 victory, giving Carolina the edge it needed in a game that turned on special teams. He had not always looked like this player earlier in the season.
During an early-season road trip to Las Vegas, Rod Brind’Amour dropped him to the fourth line after saying he was disappearing too much and that the Hurricanes would need him come playoff time. Svechnikov went the first eight games without a goal on 15 shots, a slow start that made Thursday’s two-goal night stand out even more.
Brind’Amour and Tulsky on Svechnikov
The line change did not erase the belief around him. In late October, Eric Tulsky said, “He has been a difference-maker in the lineup and will be a difference-maker in the lineup again.”
After Game 5, Tulsky expanded on that view in the jubilant locker room, saying, “Look, he’s a great player, he’s extremely skilled, he’s big and strong and physical,” and, “He’s the kind of player you need in the playoffs, and whether the puck’s going in the net or not, he can make a difference on any shift. And tonight he showed that.” He also said, “His skills have always been there, and sometimes it’s clicking and sometimes it isn’t. But I was never worried that he wouldn’t come around.”
Vegas night, Carolina payoff
Svechnikov’s own comments earlier in the season fit the same storyline. He said, “If you see me break a stick, then there is frustration,” then added, “You stay positive,” and, “I’m on the fourth line, but for me, it’s not that big of a deal.”
The payoff came later that night when he scored his first goal of the season, and the finish in Game 5 gave Carolina a 4-2 win over Vegas in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final. The Hurricanes now sit one victory from their second Stanley Cup title in franchise history, with Svechnikov’s timing putting his season arc back at the center of the series.
