A lot has changed since the last time the Carolina Hurricanes were in the Stanley Cup Final. For one, the Vegas Golden Knights were more than a decade away from playing their first game as a franchise. Now, the organizations are colliding in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final to see who can win their second championship first.
These two teams haven't met since October, with Vegas winning both meetings in regulation. However, the Canes weren't playing with their full complement of defensemen, with Jaccob Slavin missing both games and Shayne Gostisbehere out for the first one. Seven months later, everyone is working with a full deck, giving us a true best-on-best series to conclude the 2025-26 season.
1. Do to Marner and Eichel what you've done to other stars
Sitting at the top of the league in points during this postseason are a pair of Vegas stars. Mitch Marner is enjoying an incredible run. He's the only player in the league with more than 20 points, leading the way with 21. Right behind him, backed by a league-best 14 assists, is Jack Eichel with 18. For those curious, third on that list is Carolina's Taylor Hall, leading the Canes with 16 points.
Through three rounds, the Hurricanes haven't given up much offensively. This means they've been able to keep the top contributors on Ottawa, Philadelphia, and Montreal in check. However, Vegas is a completely different animal. They have people on every line who can hurt you, led by their biggest stars. The Canes can't let them continue to run roughshod without being held in check.
2. Get to the Hart of the issue
There is an added layer to this series that I won't be divulging into, but I want to make it crystal clear that I know it exists. The one thing the Vegas Golden Knights were sorely lacking this season was stability in the net. Their mid-season addition of Carter Hart helped create that. He faced a rocky start against Utah. Since then, Hart has been outstanding against Anaheim and Colorado.
The Hurricanes should be very familiar with Hart. He spent six seasons in the Metropolitan Division with the Philadelphia Flyers, so he's faced the Canes a few times. During his career, Hart is 4-6-1 in 11 games, posting a .913 save percentage and a 2.93 GAA. It has been over two-and-a-half years since the two have met, so past successes and failures will be left there.
3. Be prepared for a big, active defensive group
In the aftermath of the Hurricanes' series win over Montreal, I couldn't help but notice the TNT broadcast talking a lot about Vegas' defensemen while previewing the Cup Final. In their defense, pun intended, they are quite the formidable group. They've deployed eight defenders this postseason, and none of them stand shorter than Rasmus Andersson at 6'1".
They haven't been the most productive group offensively, outside of Shea Theodore's four goals and 11 points. They also feature many familiar names, like former Carolina first-round pick Noah Hanifin and short-time Cane Dylan Coghlan. They'll throw their bodies in front of shots and will be aggravating to contain. The job only keeps getting harder for the Canes.
4. Find a way to win on special teams
Another thing the TNT crew mentioned was containing Vegas' power play. The Golden Knights are third in the league in power-play goals, operating at a 23.9 percent clip. Like Montreal, they have one very dominant unit. Pavel Dorofeyev and Mark Stone have each scored four times, while Marner has seven points. Meanwhile, the Canes come into the series having killed 92.5 percent of their penalties.
Vegas isn't just lethal on the power play. They are a threat to score short-handed as well. Brett Howden, who is tied with Dorofeyev for the league lead in goals with 10, has scored three times while short-handed, and Marner has assisted on all four of Vegas' goals while a man down. Considering Vegas has only allowed six power-play goals, it's quite an impressive goal differential.
5. Don't let the Golden Knights' experience take control
Unlike the conference finals, where the Canes have plenty of experience over the last eight years, the Stanley Cup Final is new ground. Only three players on the roster have made it this far before, and one of them, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, likely won't be playing. The other two are Jordan Staal and William Carrier. Staal hasn't been here since 2009, and Carrier won it in 2023, and you know who it was with.
In fact, it's the third time that Vegas has been here since their first season in 2017-18. There are still 10 players on the roster from that Stanley Cup win in 2023, and they've added another in Brandon Saad, who won it in 2013 and 2015 with Chicago. The Canes can't let themselves be blinded by the moment. Vegas will make them pay.
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