Ehlers scores 25 seconds into Game 1 for Carolina vs Vegas: Fastest goals in Stanley Cup Finals

The Carolina Hurricanes couldn’t have asked for a better start to Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final. Nikolaj Ehlers scored less than a minute into the game against the Vegas Golden Knights, registering one of the fastest goals in Stanley Cup Final history.

Although fans were still settling into their seats at Lenovo Center when Ehlers beat Carter Hart on a low shot, the first goal of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final wasn’t the fastest in NHL history in a championship series. However, it’s among the fastest.

Boston Bruins’ John Byce still holds the record thanks to his goal in Game 3 of the 1990 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers. Byce scored just 10 seconds into the game. As impressive as Ehlers’ tally against Hart and the Golden Knights was, it still took more than twice as long as Byce’s goal in 1990, which established a record that remains intact 36 years later.

Previous record

Byce dethroned NHL legend Jean Beliveau, who scored 14 seconds into Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 1965. Beliveau’s record had stood for 25 years. Beliveau still holds the benchmark for the quickest goal in a true championship-clinching game.

Moreover, Beliveau and the Montreal Canadiens went on to win the Stanley Cup that year, whereas Byce and the Bruins fell to the Oilers in 1990. In more ways than one, Beliveau had the last laugh.

See also

Connor McDavid’s Oilers left out in the cold as Gary Bettman defends Vegas’ interviewing blockade

Where does Ehlers’ goal rank?

Following his goal in Game 1 against the Golden Knights, Ehlers is tied at 8th for the fastest goal in a Stanley Cup Final game. He joins Buddy O’Connor (Canadiens) and Gregg Sheppard (Bruins), who also scored 25 seconds into a title game in 1947 and 1978, respectively.

Ehlers’ goal was the fastest in a Stanley Cup Final game since 2006. That year, the Hurricanes were actually on the receiving end of an early tiebreaking goal, as Fernando Pisani scored at the same arena (then RBC Center, now Lenovo Center) just 16 seconds into Game 5.

Fastest goal in Game 1 of SCF

Though noteworthy, Ehlers couldn’t break the record for the fastest goal in a Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. That milestone still belongs to Sid Smith, who opened the scoring for the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 1951 just 15 seconds into the action.

Still, Ehlers’ goal is the third-fastest in Stanley Cup Final Game 1 history, trailing only Smith and Reggie Leach, who scored 21 seconds into Game 1 of the 1976 Stanley Cup Final for the Philadelphia Flyers.

As sweet as setting a record would’ve been, all the Hurricanes care about is hoisting Lord Stanley. Needless to say, early tone-setting goals could go a long way toward making sure that happens—regardless of whether they establish a benchmark or not.