After an electric first three games of the Stanley Cup Final that featured two overtime finishes, the Carolina Hurricanes have won comfortably in Games 4 and 5 and now have a chance to end the series on the road tonight.
The switch to backup goalie Brandon Bussi late in Game 3 was where it all changed for Carolina, as Bussi has stabilized the Hurricanes defense with a .908 SV% through his three appearances.
Vegas once held control of this series with a 2-1 lead, but can they defend home ice to force a Game 7?
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First Pick: Carolina Hurricanes ML (-115) over Vegas Golden Knights
Rundown: We’re backing the Hurricanes as slight road favorites here, as Carolina’s growing momentum has started to feel like a storm Vegas can no longer contain.
The Golden Knights got a tough break in the second period of Game 5 when forward William Karlsson suffered an injury that he did not return from.
Karlsson has since been ruled out for Game 6, further adding to the sizable gap in depth between these two teams.
Carolina’s offense has been firing on all cylinders, with center Jordan Staal leading the charge after becoming the first player since 1958 to score in each of the first five games of a Stanley Cup Final.
The Hurricanes’ offensive attack has been an insurmountable challenge for Vegas goalie Carter Hart, who is now the first goalie in NHL history to allow four or more goals in each of his first five Stanley Cup games.
Expect another tough night for Hart in the cage in Game 6, as the Hurricanes hoist the Stanley Cup for just the second time in franchise history.
Second Pick: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Carolina Hurricanes – Over 6 goals
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Jun 11, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) freezes the puck against Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl (48) during the third period in game five of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center.
Rundown: We have yet to see the under hit through five games of these Stanley Cup Finals, and despite the increased intensity of a do-or-die Game 6, we’re rolling with the over once again here.
Hart’s streak of goals allowed in this series makes it hard to envision the under hitting unless we see a much-improved performance from the seventh-year man, and Carolina’s offense has shown no signs of slowing down.
With two of five games in this series needing overtime, the over does not necessarily need to cash in regulation, as another extra-period finish could provide the final push needed to get this total across the line.