Canadiens Hurricanes Hockey
Carolina Hurricanes' Logan Stankoven (22) celebrates his goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Friday, May 29, 2026.
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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Rod Brind'Amour wore a big smile as he walked on the ice to join his Ca…
Two teams are left standing as the NHL playoffs have reached the Stanley Cup Final. The Vegas Golden Knights will face the Carolina Hurricanes in a matchup of the two hottest teams in hockey over the past two months. Vegas swept Presidents' Trophy-winning Colorado in the West final. Carolina has lost just one of 13 games through three rounds. The Hurricanes go into the final as a slight favorite. Game 1 is Tuesday night in Raleigh.
Mitch Marner had the opportunity to accept a trade to Carolina at the deadline in March 2025. Instead, he chose to stay in Toronto rather than be part of a deal for Mikko Rantanen and went on to sign with Vegas last summer. The decision caused a wave of events that led the Hurricanes and Golden Knights to this stage. Carolina got Logan Stankoven — perhaps their best player this playoffs — back from Dallas for Rantanen along with picks that helped get defenseman K’Andre Miller and the salary cap space to sign Nikolaj Ehlers. Vegas got Marner, who has been its best player and now gets to face a team he could have joined with the Stanley Cup on the line.
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