Two defensive juggernauts collide in Raleigh as the dominant Hurricanes host the Golden Knights. Discover key matchups and projected lineups for this high-stakes championship series opener.
What - Game 1
When - 8 p.m., Tuesday, June 2
Where - Lenovo Center; Raleigh, NC
How to Watch - ABC, CBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports
The Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights will square off in Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final tonight in Raleigh.
The two teams are the last ones remaining and what a run it's been for each, with the two combining for just five total losses all postseason.
Carolina went 12-1 with back-to-back sweeps in the first two rounds, while Vegas went six games in each of the first two rounds before sweeping the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final.
Both teams have been defensive stalwarts all season and their goaltending has picked up at just the right time too.
This series may just come down to depth and special teams, so it will be exciting to see which of the league's top two teams will be the last one standing.
Streaks
- Jackson Blake (1g, 3a), Shayne Gostisbehere (2g, 2a) and Andrei Svechnikov (2g, 1a) have points in three straight games.
- Logan Stankoven (2g, 2a), Nikolaj Ehlers (3a) and Sebastian Aho (1g, 1a) have points in back-to-back games.
Game Notes
- Carolina and Vegas have never met in the postseason before.
- This is both team's third trip to the Stanley Cup Final in franchise history (CAR - 2002, 2006, 2026; VGK - 2018, 2023, 2026).
- William Carrier played for the Golden Knights from 2017-2024, winning the Cup with them in 2023.
- Noah Hanifin (2015-2018) and Dylan Coghlan (2022-2024) both played for Carolina.
- The Hurricanes went 0-2 against the Golden Knights in the regular season, with both games taking place in October.
- All-time, the Canes have a 9-7 record against Vegas.
Key Matchups
Projected Starting Goalies
- Frederik Andersen: 12-1; 0.931 Sv%; 1.41 GAA
- Carter Hart: 12-4; 0.924 Sv%; 2.22 GAA
Leading Scorers
- Goals - Logan Stankoven (9) / Pavel Dorofeyev & Brett Howden (10)
- Points - Taylor Hall (16) / Mitch Marner (21)
Power Play
- Carolina - 12.5% (7/56)
- Vegas - 23.9% (11/46)
Penalty Kill
- Carolina - 92.5% (49/53)
- Vegas - 87.5% (42/48)
Hurricanes Projected Lineup
Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall - Logan Stankoven - Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers - Jordan Staal - Jordan Martinook
William Carrier - Mark Jankowski - Eric Robinson
Jaccob Slavin - Jalen Chatfield
K'Andre Miller - Sean Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere - Alexander Nikishin
Frederik Andersen
Brandon Bussi
Injuries and Scratches: Mike Reilly, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Nicolas Deslauriers, Pyotr Kochetkov
Golden Knights Projected Lineup
Ivan Barbashev - Jack Eichel - Pavel Dorofeyev
Brett Howden - William Karlsson - Mitch Marner
Tomas Hertl - Colton Sissons - Mark Stone
Cole Smith - Nic Dowd - Keegan Kolesar
Brayden McNabb - Shea Theodore
Noah Hanifin - Rasmus Andersson
Dylan Coghlan - Kaedan Korczak
Carter Hart
Adin Hill
Injuries and Scratches: Jeremy Lauzon (UBI), Braeden Bowman, Jaycob Megna, Brandon Saad, Ben Hutton, Reilly Smith
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