Down a game, the Hurricanes look to even the series at home. Dive into projected rosters, key matchups, and broadcast details for this pivotal championship showdown in Raleigh.
What - Game 2 (0-1)
When - 8 p.m., Thursday, June 4
Where - Lenovo Center; Raleigh, NC
How to Watch - ABC, CBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports
The Carolina Hurricanes will look to bounce back in Game 2 after dropping the Stanley Cup Final opener to the Vegas Golden Knights.
It was a back-and-forth affair between the two teams as both utilized effective forechecks to force mistakes and capitalize on chances, but in the end, Carolina made one more mistake than Vegas.
Both teams will be looking for a better defensive effort overall given the sheer amount of turnovers and sloppy plays in their own zones, but for Carolina, being more sharp in coverage will be a major key.
Four of the Golden Knights' five goals came from an in-alone look in and around the slot, so the Canes need to do a better job of managing the puck in their own zone, cutting down turnovers and covering those high-danger areas.
Offensively, the team also needs the top line and the top power play unit to start producing to match Vegas' top players.
The depth is showing up for the Canes, but they can't carry the load.
Those need contributions will be critical if they want to pull off a Game 2 win.
Streaks
- Shayne Gostisbehere (3g, 2a) has points in four straight games.
- Nikolaj Ehlers (2g, 3a) has points in three straight 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: 12-2; 0.920 Sv%; 1.65 GAA
- Carter Hart: 13-4; 0.921 Sv%; 2.33 GAA
Leading Scorers
- Goals - Logan Stankoven (9) / Brett Howden (11)
- Points - Taylor Hall (16) / Mitch Marner (22)
Power Play
- Carolina - 12.1% (7/58)
- Vegas - 22.4% (11/49)
Penalty Kill
- Carolina - 92.9% (52/56)
- Vegas - 88% (45/50)
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 - Jeremy Lauzon
Carter Hart
Adin Hill
Injuries and Scratches: Kaedan Korczak, Braeden Bowman, Jaycob Megna, Brandon Saad, Ben Hutton, Reilly Smith
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