Carolina are playing in their first Stanley Cup Final since 2006, while the Vegas Golden Knights are back in the last series of the season for the third time in nine years.
It only took 25 seconds for the game's opening goal. Jaccob Slavin found Nikolaj Ehlers from inside the Hurricanes' blue line. Ehlers, who still had much work to do, got past his man to break in on goal.
One-on-one with Carter Hart, the winger hit his shot off the iron and into the net to open the scoring.
The Lenovo Center burst into celebration not even a minute into the contest as the Canes, who have dominated the Eastern Conference playoffs, went ahead very early on.
The home side would double their advantage with 7:52 left in the period. Ehlers was back at it again, as he finished off another one-on-one with the Golden Knights' goaltender after Jalen Chatfield played a stellar pass into him.
Vegas, who swept the President's Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference final, got on the board a minute and change later. A first-time shot from Shea Theodore found its way past a sea of bodies and into the net to get the guests into the contest.
Carolina had much of the momentum in the opening frame, outshooting Vegas 12-4. Yet, their lead was a narrow one heading into the second.
Similar to the first period, another very early goal started off the second. This time, it was the Golden Knights who pounced. Jack Eichel's centering pass found Ivan Barbashev, who took a touch to control the pass before firing it past Frederik Andersen to tie the game.
In what was a contrasting period to the previous, there appeared to be a change in momentum as the Golden Knights started to look more confident. A few minutes later, they would take their first lead of the night.
Some quick thinking from Mitch Marner saw him slip in William Karlsson. In front of the goal, the Swede's shot found the opposite corner. The goal silenced the home fans as suddenly their team were behind.
The lead lasted for eight minutes before the Canes found their rhythm again. Noah Hanifin caused a turnover from a loose pass, allowing for K'Andre Miller to play in Jordan Staal. The effort from Staal found the back of the net, levelling the game once more.
After two periods, the game was very balanced. Carolina had one more shot than Vegas, with many of the stats largely the same. It left the game well poised for the final 20 minutes of regulation.
It took 81 seconds for the Golden Knights to go back in front. Theodore was once again involved as he found Brett Howden in front of goal, who tapped it past an outstetched Andersen to put hit team back ahead.
With how the game was going, it was evident that there would be more goals to come. And with 8:41 left, the Hurricanes restored parity.
The equalizer came off a face-off, which saw a few players battle in the corner before the puck spilled out to Shayne Gostisbehere, who found the bottom corner with an inch-perfect shot. There was little room with his shot, yet the 33-year-old managed to find a way.
The game winner came with 3:24 left, off some lovely play from Vegas. Tomas Hertl combined with Colton Sissons before ripping his shot into the top corner.
The Canes were unable to find a response in the final few minutes as the Golden Knights held on to take a 1-0 series lead. The teams will reconvene in Carolina on Thursday for Game 2.
