The Carolina Hurricanes are on top of the NHL for the first time in 20 years. They eliminated the Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup while dropping just three games in the playoffs.
LAS VEGAS – Taylor Hall was a monster. Jaccob Slavin was a defensive blanket, and Brandon Bussi was the ace goaltender Carolina needed between the pipes as the Hurricanes blanked Vegas 3-0 to win the franchise's second-ever Stanley Cup.
Twenty years after last capturing the Cup, the Hurricanes lost just three games all playoffs long en route to winning it all. Only Wayne Gretzky's 1987-88 Edmonton Oilers rank ahead of Carolina for the fewest losses by a Stanley Cup champion in four rounds of best-of-seven series, with two.
Fittingly, it was Slavin finding Hall with a great stretch pass four minutes in. Hall made no mistake on the breakaway, wristing one past Carter Hart to open the scoring.
Hall's line with Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven was incredibly strong all game, much like they have been for the whole post-season.
Pavel Dorofeyev got Vegas' first good chance of the night, popping off a shot in front, but Bussi stopped it, and the rebound lofted on top of the Carolina net.
In a series that had already seen almost everything, Tomas Hertl got a rare faceoff violation penalty on a Golden Knights power play after he played the puck with his hand off the draw.
Soon after, Brett Howden got a break off a bad Carolina line change, but Bussi made the stop.
Next, it was Hart's turn for theatrics. After giving the puck away behind his net, Hart dove in front of an Andrei Svechnikov shot for the save.
Vegas got another power play late in the frame and came with a flurry of shots, but Bussi was there once again. The Canes netminder most impressively made a leaping save on Dorofeyev with three seconds left in the frame.
In the second, the two goaltenders were busy with Grade-A chances. Hart fended off Jordan Staal on a breakaway, then Bussi had to contend with Tomas Hertl pulling off a great toe drag and wrister, but to no avail. Stankoven then sailed a shot high on a 2-on-1, followed by Carolina getting extended offensive zone time after Nic Dowd lost his stick.
Finally, Blake extended the Carolina lead to 2-0 after starting the play with an excellent battle win. He then went to the front of the net and threw a shot that deflected off Mitch Marner and into the Vegas net.
As with much of the night, Mark Stone played like a man possessed for Vegas in the third, kicking things off by undressing Hall on a rush.
But Slavin, the defensive guru, got in front of Stone to thwart the threat.
Later, on another Vegas power play, Bussi lost his stick, and the Golden Knights were humming. Stone found Jack Eichel all alone, but Eichel blasted one off the crossbar.
Hart was pulled for the extra attacker with just under three to play, and the Golden Knights soon got an amazing chance when Bussi fell after making the initial save. Hertl got the rebound, but shot right into the netminder's chest.
With less than two to play and Vegas controlling, Stone just missed a pass on the doorstep.
And then, with 1:08 to play, Nikolaj Ehlers corralled the puck near center ice and fired home an empty-netter to give Carolina a commanding 3-0 lead.
Vegas continued to push, but the Hurricanes would not be denied: the Cup was once again heading to Carolina.
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