Raleigh, N.C. ? After a stirring comeback, the Carolina Hurricanes won Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals with a gift of a goal.

Rod Brind’Amour scored off a flukey mistake with 31.1 seconds remaining when Edmonton’s backup goalie botched an exchange behind the net, and the Hurricanes rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Oilers, 5-4, Monday night.

Ty Conklin had to take over in goal for Edmonton with just under six minutes remaining after Dwayne Roloson, the star of the eighth-seeded Oilers improbable playoff run, was injured in a collision that knocked the net off its moorings.

Roloson, who had played every minute of the playoffs, is done for the series after injuring his right knee. Conklin – who played in just 18 regular-season games – might have to go the rest of the way.

He didn’t pass his first test.

With overtime looming, Conklin went behind the net to play the puck on a seemingly routine play. But he appeared to cross up teammate Jason Smith with a backhanded pass, the puck deflecting off Smith’s stick and sliding in front of an open net.

Carolina's Andrew Ladd, left, falls on the leg of Edmonton goaltender Dwayne Roloson in the third period. Roloson was injured on the play Monday in Raleigh, N.C., and is out for the series. The Hurricanes won Game 1, 5-4.

Brind’Amour scored his second goal of the night – and he’ll never get an easier one. Smith dove in a futile attempt to knock the puck away and Conklin was still coming around from behind the net when it crossed the line.

“It wasn’t much that I did,” Brind’Amour said. “I think there was a little mix-up about who was going to get it, and obviously the goalie is behind the net. It was just a matter of flipping it into the net. You don’t get too many of those, but I’ll definitely take them.”

Carolina’s rookie goalie, Cam Ward, had another brilliant playoff performance after backing up Martin Gerber through most of the regular season. Ward made 34 saves, including the second of two remarkable stops on Shawn Horcoff at the side of the net with 3.8 seconds left.

Game 2 is Wednesday night in Raleigh. Then, the series shifts to Edmonton for the next two games.

With two small-market finalists and an obscure cable network televising the first two games, the Edmonton-Carolina matchup was expected to draw minuscule television ratings.

Maybe a few more people will flip over after the Oilers and Hurricanes put on a thrilling display with all sorts of twists and turns.

Carolina matched the biggest comeback in finals history, equaling five other teams that overcame a three-goal deficit to win. Edmonton’s Chris Pronger scored the first penalty shot goal in finals history. Carolina finally scored late in the second period, then strung together three rapid-fire goals in the third. Justin Williams put the Hurricanes ahead for the first time on a shorthanded breakaway goal with 9:58 remaining in regulation.

“It’s a tough loss, but at the same time it’s one game,” Pronger said. “We can’t dwell on it too much. We did a lot of good things out there. We got off to a great start and played well after a long layoff.”