After months of pondering whether the Vegas Golden Knights had the gas in the tank to reach this point, they have scratched and clawed their way back to the Stanley Cup Final.
On Tuesday, the road to four more wins officially begins for the Golden Knights as they square up across the country against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Venue: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC
Date: Tuesday, June 2
Time: 5:00 pm PST
How To Watch: ABC
Radio: 1340 AM, 94.7 FM
The Golden Knights are once again on the path to claim the throne as the NHL’s overlord, as they hope to secure their second Stanley Cup before their milestone 10th season in October. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have rebounded from years of playoff disappointment to a dominant 12-1 run, seeking to make good on their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 2006. With so much on the line for both teams, no one will be backing down as they hope to secure an early advantage in Game One.
Here is how the Golden Knights can take the initiative and get their third Cup Final off to a flying start.
Be the difference
“We haven’t changed in eight years,” said Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal about his team’s style of play, referencing back to the hiring of franchise legend Rod Brind’Amour behind the Carolina bench in 2018.
Since then, the preferred style of play for the Hurricanes and Golden Knights have been virtually identical: get on top of the opponent early on the forecheck, be quick in transition from defense to offense and refuse to alleviate the pressure anywhere on the ice. With knowledge of how the other side plays, what will emerge as the catalyst for a Cup victory is to figure out how to catch the opponent overextending and flip the ice to earn advantageous looks at the other end. Vegas is armed to the teeth with players who can make that happen between Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner and Mark Stone, so all three will be tasked with driving play when the opportunity arises.
Hart stopper
Between Carter Hart and Frederik Andersen, this series has two genuine Conn Smythe Trophy candidates facing off in the nets.
Andersen has been one of the driving forces for the Hurricanes during their playoff run, leading all goaltenders with a sparkling 1.41 goals against average and .931 save percentage (among goalies who advanced past round one), along with three shutouts. Hart has been right on his heels thanks to a stellar run since the calendar flipped to May, only allowing more than two goals twice in 11 games and shutting the door against the President’s Trophy winning Colorado Avalanche on more than one occasion. In a series that looks like offense will be at a premium, the Golden Knights will need Hart to hold things down on his end while the team in front of him hopes to live up to their end of the bargain.
Time on your side
Game One has typically been a boon for the Golden Knights, who have secured victories to open each of their first three playoff series this year.
On top of that, the Golden Knights have won Game One in both of their previous Cup Finals appearances against the Washington Capitals in 2018 and the Florida Panthers in 2023. The Hurricanes also dropped their only postseason contest this season in Game One of the Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadiens, although that can be attributed to rust as Carolina fired off four straight wins after that. As evidenced by the Colorado series, Vegas can ramp up the pressure against top teams by getting out to early leads, and that will likely be the mindset heading into this series as well.