RALEIGH, N.C. — Tomas Hertl didn’t just win Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final — he rescued it, rewrote it, and stamped his name all over it in a way that will only serve to continue strengthening the belief his Vegas Golden Knights already have.
For a guy who begged reporters, “Please ask me this for the last time,” about his recent 29‑game scoring drought, he sure has a flair for timing. Two game‑winners in his last three outings, seven straight team wins, and now the biggest goal of Vegas’ season — a gorgeous give‑and‑go with Colton Sissons that silenced Raleigh on Tuesday and reminded everyone why the longtime Shark was brought to Sin City in the first place.
“Ya, he’s just smart – he’s saving it for the big occasions,” said William Karlsson, grinning like a man who’s seen this movie before.
“You’ve got to give it to him.”
Hertl’s resurgence didn’t happen by accident. It started with a phone call — one he didn’t ask for, but desperately needed.
“My old teammate called me, Joe Pavelski, and he actually helped me a lot,” said Hertl of a chat early in the playoffs.
“He’s a great goal scorer who has gone through a lot. He kind of called me and talked to me about just what to do, and I think the next day it was done, I got my first goal.”
That was the spark. The rest has been gasoline.
And it’s a good thing, because Vegas needed every drop of it after a start so disastrous it bordered on slapstick.
A Carolina goal 25 seconds in. A crossbar. A massive hit. Then another Hurricanes goal. Nikolaj Ehlers converted while in alone again, this time five‑hole on Carter Hart. A dozen minutes in, the Golden Knights were down 2‑0 and looked like they’d shown up to the wrong building.
“Yeah, that was a terrible start,” Karlsson admitted. “But just like it was against Colorado, there was a lot of time left, so yeah, we always believe.”
Their comeback win against Colorado to win Game 3 of the Western Conference Final, despite an early 3-0 deficit, keeps coming up as a reminder of just how resilient these Golden Knights are. How confident they are in their process, their game plan and their ability to find a different hero every night.
Just so happens, Hertl had the game-winner that night, too.
Not bad for a third-liner — a two-time 30-goal man who’d be a top-liner in most NHL towns.
That belief is the backbone of John Tortorella’s team, and it’s why he didn’t need to scream or break sticks when he gathered the bench after the second goal.
He just needed to remind them who they are.
“We have thoughts on how to play this team,” said the coach following a 5-4 win that was an entertaining as it sounds.
“And when we were down 2‑0, I don’t think we were playing that way.”
He also admitted the leash on Hertl had been tightening.
“We gave him some time, but time was getting short though,” said Tortorella, who arrived with eight games left in the season — smack dab in the middle of Hertl’s scoring slump.
“He’s come through at a very important time.”
That’s an understatement. Hertl’s winner capped a night that showcased everything Vegas prides itself on: resilience, experience, and a refusal to panic even when the roof is caving in.
“Obviously we don’t try to do it on purpose, you know, like get down,” Hertl said of the horrid start.
“But that’s kind of the whole story of the season … we just don’t panic any time of the game.”
And they didn’t. Shea Theodore’s point blast through traffic cut the deficit late in the first. Ivan Barbashev tied it 30 seconds into the second, before Karlsson put them ahead four minutes later, flipping the Lenovo Center on its head. Theodore and Brayden McNabb each finished with three points, with Theodore’s best play coming a minute into the third — a slap‑pass that Brett Howden one‑handed home to break a 3‑3 tie.
Carolina, to its credit, kept swinging. Jordan Staal had knotted it 3-3 in the second, Shayne Gostisbehere tied it midway through the third, and Seth Jarvis nearly stole it, only to be robbed by Hart’s glove less than a minute before Hertl’s winner.
It was frantic, messy, wildly entertaining, and the type of drama that will make Game 2 on Thursday must-watch.
“You just never know what’s going to happen,” Tortorella said, philosophically.
“It’s a find‑a‑way league. We found a way tonight.”
And they found it because Hertl, the guy who couldn’t buy a goal for months, showed up when needed most. Because Pavelski picked up the phone. Because Tortorella kept the faith just long enough. Because the Golden Knights, for all their flaws, know exactly who they are when the moment demands it.
Calm. Experienced. Northbound. And now, up 1‑0 in the Stanley Cup Final thanks to a player who rediscovered his touch at the perfect time, once again.
