There are at most, three games remaining for the 2025-26 season. A best of seven has become a best of three, as the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights have split the first four games.

Let’s take a look at what has gone on in this series.

Game 1

Game 1 was in Raleigh, North Carolina on Jun. 2. It took just 25 seconds for the home team to score the first goal of the Finals, and they extended it to 2-0 with just under eight to play. Nikolaj Ehlers scored both goals. But just 80 seconds later, Shea Theodore scored to cut the lead in half.

That was it for scoring in the first period, and the two teams combined for three goals in the second period. Just 30 seconds in, Ivan Barbashev scored to knot the game at one, then William Karlsson scored just four minutes later for the Golden Knights’ first lead of the Finals. With just over seven to play, the longest-tenured Hurricane, Jordan Staal, tied the game at one.

The third period featured another early goal, as Brett Howden scored just 81 seconds into the final frame. Once again, the Hurricanes had an answer, as Shayne Gostisbehere scored midway through the third.

Tomáš Hertl scored the deciding goal, beating the Hurricanes’ netminder with 3:24 left in the game, as the Knights clung on to win Game 1.

Game 2

Still on the East Coast for Game 2, Howden scored his 12th of the playoff with about six and a half to play in the opening frame. Then seven and a half minutes into the second, he gave the Golden Knights a 2-0 lead after 40.

The score stood that way until midway through the third, until Logan Stankoven cut the lead in half. Just over two minutes later, former Flame Mark Jankowski tied the game at one. Late in the game, it looked as if the Golden Knights scored, but it was waived off.

Despite that, the Knights challenged and lost the call, giving the Hurricanes a power play. Staal scored with just over five minutes to play to give them a late lead. But the Knights didn’t go quietly, as their captain, Mark Stone, tied the game with just 81 seconds remaining.

It was all for naught, though, as Seth Jarvis scored a power play goal just four minutes into the extra period, knotting the series up at one.

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SETH JARVIS SCORES THE WINNER IN @ENERGIZER OVERTIME TO TIE THE SERIES‼️ #StanleyCup

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Game 3

Game 3 shifted to Sin City, and it was once again a high-scoring game. After a scoreless 20, the Golden Knights scored four in the second period, Hertl got the first on a power play, before Mitch Marner scored a natural hat trick.

The game must’ve been over and done with, right? Wrong. Seven minutes into the third, Jordan Martinook got the Hurricanes on the board, and Hall added a second one just 26 seconds later. But the scoring didn’t stop there, as Staal made it 4-3 just 13 seconds later. Three goals in just 39 seconds.

They completed the comeback late in the third, as Andrei Svechnikov scored a power play goal with under two to play.

While they managed to get the game to overtime, the Golden Knights found a way to win, as Theodore scored his second of the series just over five minutes into double overtime.

Vegas Golden Knights

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SHEA THEODORE IS THE OT HERO 🐻

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Game 4

Looking to avoid going down 3-1, the Hurricanes got off to a great start, with Stankoven scoring just 66 seconds into the game. Jackson Blake scored another one about three and a half minutes into the game, but Stone cut the lead in half seven and a half minutes into the game. The Hurricanes restored their two-goal lead with seven to play in first, with the score standings at 3-1 after 20.

This time, it was the Hurricanes’ time to blow a lead, as Karlsson scored 4:22 into the second period, then Howden scored again with just under three to play. Just like Game 3, the team blowing the lead won, as Staal scored six and a half minutes into the third, and Ehlers iced the game with an empty netter.

What’s next

With the two teams splitting the first four games, the series has now become a best-of-three with the Hurricanes holding home ice advantage. Game 5 goes on Thursday at 6:00 PM MT in Raleigh. The Stanley Cup will be in the building on Sunday, as the series turns to Las Vegas for Game 6, with a 6:00 PM MT start time.

And if the teams split these two games, which seems like a high probability given how the first four games have gone, the winner-take-all Game 7 is set for Wednesday in Raleigh, also with a 6:00 PM MT start time.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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