USA TODAY
June 14, 2026Updated June 15, 2026, 2:33 a.m. ET
The Carolina Hurricanes are celebrating a Stanley Cup championship 20 years in the making.
They defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final in a near-perfect game on Sunday, June 14.
The Hurricanes’ second line came through on goals by Taylor Hall in the first period and Jackson Blake in the second period. They held Vegas without a shot for nearly 19 minutes and Nikolaj Ehlers put the game away with an empty-net goal.
“It was our time,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We weren’t going to be denied.”
The Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2006, when Brind’Amour was captain. As coach, he made several decisions that helped Carolina roar back from a 2-1 series deficit and win three in a row.
First, he replaced starting goalie Frederik Andersen – who was dealing with an injury – with Brandon Bussi with the Hurricanes down 4-0 in Game 3. Bussi was steady in Games 4 and 5 and had a 22-save shutout in Game 6.
He also changed up the top line, which broke through in Game 5. And his defensive changes prevented the Golden Knights from getting the breakaways that cost them early in the series.
Defenseman Jaccob Slavin was stellar in Game 6 and added another honor to go along with the gold medal he won with the USA at the Olympics.
“His stick, he stopped four or five Grade A (chances),” said captain Jordan Staal, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
The Hurricanes had signed Ehlers and traded for K’Andre Miller in the offseason and added Bussi as a waiver pickup.
They dominated the early playoffs, going 12-1, and so were rested against the high-powered Golden Knights. That paid off as they celebrated on the ice on Las Vegas.
The Golden Knights fell short after reaching the final for the third time in their nine-year history. They made a late-season coaching change to John Tortorella and swept the No. 1 overall Colorado Avalanche in the conference finals.
They were without injured William Karlssonin the clinching game and players indicated the team was playing through other injuries.
Brayden McNabb was one of those. He returned one game after being hit in the visor by a puck in Game 2. Golden Knights players were proud of the team and disappointed in the outcome.
“It’s a fun ride until it comes to an end and you’re not on the right side,” McNabb said.
USA TODAY Sports provided live updates on Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights. Here are highlights:
Jordan Staal hands off Stanley Cup to Frederik Andersen
That’s the biggest question in hockey: Who gets to lift the Stanley Cup second? Frederik Andersen got the honors in a nice move by Staal. Andersen’s play got the Hurricanes to the final and though he had not dressed since the second period of Game 3 of the final, he played a huge part in the run.
Jordan Staal wins Conn Smythe Trophy
The 37-year-old captain is the oldest player to win playoff MVP. He scored six goals in the Stanley Cup Final and was a defensive stalwart throughout the playoffs.
