Jack Eichel needs to be better for Golden Knights

As the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes prepare for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, one Vegas forward will need to step up his offensive game if the Golden Knights want to win Thursday night.

Jack Eichel, whose 20 points rank second among all skaters in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, has been held to just two assists in the Final, largely due to the elite defensive skills of Hurricanes’ center Jordan Staal. Not only has the Carolina captain dominated Eichel at the faceoff dot, but he’s produced more offense than him, scoring five goals in the Stanley Cup Final, including two in Tuesday’s Game 4 win.

On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discuss Eichel’s performance in the Final and what the Vegas star needs to do to help them win.

Tyler Yaremchuk: What does Vegas need to do to win Game 5? What do you need to see from them to take a 3-2 series lead?

Carter Hutton: I think I’m going to put a lot of pressure on Jack Eichel. You’re the best player on the Vegas Golden Knight, and right now, Jordan Staal is running your show. Not that Eichel hasn’t been effective, but he hasn’t been able to produce offensively, and Staal, the Hurricanes captain, who plays in that tough defensive role … Eichel hasn’t been able to produce in this Final, while Staal has five goals.

That’s the X-factor for me. That’s a guy that I’m going to keep an eye on … his offensive side of the game is very strong, but I think he’s re-evaluated the way he plays and how he is away from the puck, but that being said, he’s going to have to produce more.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…