After scoring twice in the first 13 games of the playoffs, Jordan Staal scored for the fourth consecutive time in the Cup Final and twice overall Tuesday.
He’s the first captain in NHL history to score in his first four games of the Cup Final.
In fact, Staal became the fourth player in the expansion era (since 1968) to record a goal in the first four games of a Cup Final. The others are Mike Bossy (1982 with the New York Islanders), Steve Payne (1981 with the Minnesota North Stars) and Johnny Bucyk (1970 with the Boston Bruins).
In the first period, Staal scored on Shayne Gostisbehere’s rebound, 19 seconds into a first-period power play while camped out in the front of the net. In the third period, after almost tripping himself up, he scored a backhander from his stomach for the go-ahead goal.
Known more for his longstanding defensive excellence — Carolina is winning his five-on-five postseason minutes 11-5, and he’s done great work in this series against Vegas’ top line — Staal has also been a net-front menace for most of his career.
“I’ve been telling guys to get to the hoop for, I don’t know how long,” Staal said. “Years. Good things happen around there.”
Staal tied the second-longest goal streak in playoff history for the Hurricanes/Whalers, tying Bates Battaglia (2002) and Ray Sheppard (1999).
At 37 years, 272 days, Staal became the second player age 37 or older to score at least five goals in a Stanley Cup Final, following Brad Marchand’s six in 2025
