The Carolina Hurricanes have won their first Stanley Cup championship in 20 years, using a suffocating defence in Game 6 to shut down the Vegas Golden Knights and win 3-0 in Las Vegas.
It was a third straight win for the Hurricanes as they prevailed 4-2 in a thrilling NHL final series filled with momentum swings and spectacular offense.
Brandon Bussi, whose entrance late into Game 3 helped turn around the series for Carolina, recorded his first career playoff shutout in stopping 22 shots in Sunday's game.
Jackson Blake had a goal and assist, and Taylor Hall scored just 3:47 into the game to set the tone. Nikolaj Ehlers added an empty-net goal.
And captain Jordan Staal was named player of the series, having scored in each of the first five games, the first time that has happened..
The Golden Knights, who made an unlikely run just to reach the final, struggled badly to muster any kind of offense in Game 6 and went 18:37 between shots on goal in the second and third periods.
Playing in their third Cup final, this is the first time they have been shut out.
This clinching game was what many observers expected the series to be like between the defensive-minded teams, but each side watched leads of two-plus goals disappear in the first three games.
The moment the @Canes became the 2026 #StanleyCup champions! 😆 pic.twitter.com/Qcxx3HukqE
— NHL (@NHL) June 15, 2026
Now, the Cup belongs to the Hurricanes, led by coach Rod Brind'Amour, who also captained Carolina to their 2006 title.
This was the first game of the series that Vegas goalie Carter Hart didn't allow four goals in a game. He finished with 20 saves.
The Hurricanes began to assume control of the series after falling behind by the score of 4-0 in Game 3. They came back force overtime, and though the Canes lost, they outplayed the Golden Knights from there on out.
eflecting the do-or-die situation for the Golden Knights, they made several lineup changes, with Brett Howden replacing the injured William Karlsson at second-line centrer. Mitch Marner could have moved there, but remained at right wing.
Original Golden Knight Reilly Smith made his Cup final debut at third-line right wing and Braeden Bowman made his playoff debut at fourth-line right wing. Kaedan Korczak replaced Dyland Coghlan on the third defensive pairing.
This title is a testament to Carolina's resilience as a franchise that kept coming close to winning the Eastern Conference, but couldn't quite get through until now.
Brind'Amour made sure the Hurricanes kept getting back up after losing in the conference final twice in the past three years and three times in their current eight-year playoff run. The talent was clearly there, but there was always a stumbling block.
Not anymore.
After dispatching Montreal in five games to make the final, the Brind'Amour-led Hurricanes then faced perennial power Vegas and took care of business there, too. Now, he will get his name on the Cup for the second time.
So will 37-year-old Staal, who also won the title in 2009 with Pittsburgh.
