RALEIGH, N.C. — The Vegas Golden Knights have been here before. Twice this postseason, they have won a pivotal Game 5. Both times, they were at home. Thursday night, the stakes are even higher as the Stanley Cup Final shifts to Lenovo Center for Game 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes, with the series tied 2-2.

This is the third Cup Final in the expansion era (since 1968) to see the first four games tied at any point in the third period, and the first since the Chicago Blackhawks/Tampa Bay Lightning final in 2015. Four games of comebacks and heart-stopping finishes have set the stage for what could be the most important game of the series.

“I don’t think anybody expected this,” coach John Tortorella said. “But that’s playoffs. You expect the unexpected, I guess.”

The Golden Knights won Game 5 against the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks in overtime at T-Mobile Arena earlier in the postseason, then closed out both series with Game 6 wins on the road. Now they must replicate that success in one of the loudest buildings in the NHL.

“Like I said earlier on — I’m not sure if it was this round, or other rounds — I don’t care where we play,” Tortorella said. “I think we have a really good team, and it doesn’t matter where we play. We’re trying to get better every game, and it doesn’t matter which building we’re in.”

The winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the Cup Final 74.1 percent of the time (20-7). The home team is 15-3 in those situations, while the road team is 5-4. The road team has won the last three such games, including last year when the Florida Panthers won in Edmonton and clinched their second straight title in Game 6.

Carolina seized momentum with a 5-3 victory in Game 4, fueled by a quick start and a defensive breakdown from Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore that led to captain Jordan Staal’s game-winning goal. The Golden Knights had rallied from a 3-1 first-period deficit to tie the game with two goals on five shots in the second period, but could not hold off the Hurricanes.

“I just feel like we’re very comfortable in whatever situation we’re in,” defenseman Rasmus Andersson said.

The Golden Knights have a chance to reclaim control of the series Thursday at 5 p.m. at Lenovo Center, with the game airing on ABC.