One of the first heavyweight battles in the NHL this season took place Monday night, when the host Vegas Golden Knights [http://thn.com/vegas] beat the Carolina Hurricanes [http://thn.com/carolina] 4-1. But while the Hurricanes took this one on the chin, there’s a reason why these two teams are among the Stanley Cup front-runners, with Vegas having 9.00 (+800) odds of winning the Cup and Carolina having 9.50 (+850) odds on BetMGM [https://sports.betmgm.ca/en/blog/league/nhl/?utm_source=thehockeynews&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=nhl_blog_page]. Both teams are excellent on paper and in practice, and there’s an excellent chance at least one of them will be playing in the Cup final this year. The Hurricanes’ loss to Vegas was their first defeat of the season. But they’re still 5-1-0 thus far, vaulting them to first place in the Metropolitan Division. And Carolina’s next couple of games – against the Colorado Avalanche [http://thn.com/colorado] and the Dallas Stars [http://thn.com/dallas] – will test their mettle. In Nevada, the Golden Knights are looking equally fearsome to the Canes, if not slightly more so. With the win, Vegas has a 5-0-2 record this year, putting them first in the Pacific Division, right where many expect they’ll be throughout the season and at the end of the year. And Vegas’ next two games – against the Florida Panthers [http://thn.com/florida] and Tampa Bay Lightning [http://thn.com/tampabay] – will also provide a major test for them. Yes, both teams' schedules so far weren't super challenging. Vegas beat the Calgary Flames twice and the San Jose Sharks, while Carolina won against the Philadelphia Flyers, Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and slumping Los Angeles Kings. But the Hurricanes and Golden Knights are thriving in no small part because each team has stars coming through for them. First-year Golden Knights right winger Mitch Marner already is off to a strong start, with eight assists and 10 points in seven games. Jack Eichel leads the league in scoring with 16 points in seven games. Mark Stone put up 13 points in six games before suffering an injury, but luckily for them, they have Pavel Dorofeyev scoring seven times. The Hurricanes' Seth Jarvis has six goals and nine points in six games, while Sebastian Aho has eight points. They're doing this while Nikolaj Ehlers only has one assist and Andrei Svechnikov has yet to record a point. You can’t do impressive things as a team if your best players aren’t your best players. Vegas’ best players and most of Carolina’s have shone like diamonds, leading the way for their teammates. Find out why The Hockey News projects the Golden Knights and Hurricanes facing off in the Stanley Cup final in the Yearbook & Fantasy Guide, available at THN.com/store. [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/75b23200-2a4d-4a02-be77-c100c55e5a90.jpeg] Find out why The Hockey News projects the Golden Knights and Hurricanes facing off in the Stanley Cup final in the Yearbook & Fantasy Guide, available at THN.com/store. The Golden Knights and Hurricanes will square off against one another again just three games from now in Carolina on Oct. 28. After that, the next time they’ll do battle could come in the Cup final. BetMGM [https://betmgmsporton.onelink.me/otUl/4rkbpwij]'s odds of having the Hurricanes and Golden Knights in the final is 23.00 (+2200). But make no mistake – no matter how the rest of the season plays out, Vegas and Carolina will use one another as their own separate metric. Both are speedy teams that play a complete game. Both management teams are well-known for taking big swings on the trade front, so no one should be shocked to see even more dangerous rosters for the teams by this season’s trade deadline. And both teams are exceptionally well-coached. There’s lots to like about them, which is why so many pundits have one or both of them as their projected final two playoff teams. The Golden Knights are dealing with the adversity of being without Stone from week to week with a wrist injury, but like the Canes, the Golden Knights have terrific depth to help them get through things like this. Carolina and Vegas are already looking like the cream of the crop, and if one of them is hoisting the Cup in 2026, no one will be able to say they didn’t see it coming. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
