Staal’s Falling Backhand Wins Game 4, Ties Cup Final

Jordan Staal scored the goal of the Stanley Cup Final from his stomach.

The Carolina captain was falling to the ice in Game 4 when he reached out and batted a backhander over Vegas goalie Carter Hart. The puck gave the Hurricanes a 4-3 lead in the third period, and it held up as the winner in a 5-3 victory at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday.

Watch the captain bury it while sprawled flat on the ice:

Nikolaj Ehlers slid the puck across the slot, and Staal twisted around trying to get his forehand on it. His feet tangled and he started to fall. On the way down, he flicked it over Hart’s glove.

Staal wasn’t even sure it went in. He put his face on the ice and shook his fists once he heard the crowd react.

“I don’t know, man,” Staal said. “I was in my own world. It was an incredible moment, obviously, and just let a big yell go.”

Ehlers picked up the primary assist and got a kick out of it after the fact.

“I almost missed the pass, because it was kind of rolling, and then I saw him falling in slow motion,” Ehlers said. “After it went in, I was laughing pretty hard and celebrating. That was impressive.”

Here’s the full replay:

This was Staal’s second goal of the night. He banged in a power-play goal in the first period to put Carolina up 3-1 before Vegas clawed back even.

The 37-year-old has now scored in all four games of this Final, the first player to do that since Mike Bossy with the Islanders in 1982.

Back in Raleigh, the watch party at Lenovo Center lost it:

Staal has spent 14 seasons in Carolina and lost in the Eastern Conference Final three times. Five goals into this Final, he has pushed his way into the Conn Smythe conversation.

He’s chasing his first Cup since he won one with Pittsburgh in 2009. A title now would mean a 17-year gap, the longest ever for a player between championships.

Game 5 is Thursday night in Raleigh with the series tied at two.