Golden Knights and Hurricanes face off in Stanley Cup Final opener

The Vegas Golden Knights were up one, down to a frantic 5.6 seconds left to secure Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes won a faceoff in the Vegas zone, with Logan Stankoven passing to Alexander Nikishin up top for a one-timer from a young defenseman known for his hard shot. It epitomized the edge, precision and killer instinct that these Golden Knights are playing with as they try to win the Cup for a second time in four years.

RALEIGH -- After an epic, back-and-forth affair between the two best teams in the NHL, the Hurricanes took one too many breathers as they dropped Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final 5-4 to the Vegas Golden Knights.

The best-of-seven series pairs an Eastern Conference champion that finished second in the regular season behind Colorado against a Western Conference champion that elevated its game the longer the playoffs wore on.

The Carolina Hurricanes opened the NHL playoffs with a shutout and just kept smothering opponents, swarming in absolute refusal to yield time or space to puck handlers. The Vegas Golden Knights simply got better with each round until locking up the Presidents' Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in a shocking sweep of a team that romped through the regular season. Now they turn their lockdown sights on each other for the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup.