The wait is over. The Carolina Hurricanes are Stanley Cup Champions for the second time in franchise history, clinching in Las Vegas with a dominant 3-0 shutout of the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 on Sunday night. Brandon Bussi stopped all 22 shots he faced to record the first shutout of his playoff career and cement his status as the hero of this run. Taylor Hall scored just 3:47 into the game and Jackson Blake added a second in the first period; Nikolaj Ehlers sealed it with an empty-netter. Carolina wins the series 4-2.
Jordan Staal was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy at age 37 — the oldest Conn Smythe winner in NHL history. Six goals in six Final games. A goal in five consecutive Final games (G1-G5). A championship in the final years of a legendary career.
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Final score and box-score notes
- Final: Carolina Hurricanes 3, Vegas Golden Knights 0
- Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
- Hurricanes goals: Hall (1st, 3:47), Blake (1st, goal + assist), Ehlers (3rd, EN)
- Golden Knights goals: none
- Goaltender: Bussi (Carolina) 22 saves, 22 shots faced — first career playoff shutout
- Conn Smythe Trophy: Jordan Staal — 6 goals in the Final, oldest winner in NHL history (age 37)
- Series: Carolina Hurricanes win 4-2
What happened
Taylor Hall put Carolina in front before four minutes were gone — a fast start that had Vegas chasing from the moment the building should have been roaring. Jackson Blake, who had emerged as one of the Hurricanes’ most dangerous young forwards this postseason, made it 2-0 before the first period was done.
From there, Bussi took over. The rookie was immovable. Vegas pressed in the second and third, knowing another goal changes everything, and Bussi stopped every shot they put on net. The Golden Knights’ scorers — Eichel, Marner, Dorofeyev — could not solve him. When Ehlers put the puck into the empty net in the third period, the Cup party started early.
This was the story of the series’ second half: Carolina’s defense and goaltending, which looked shaky after Games 1 and 3, became the Hurricanes’ identity after Brind’Amour handed Bussi the net in Game 4. Bussi went 3-0 with a .940+ save percentage in his three starts. He never let a game get away.
How our Game 6 best bets did
- Carolina ML -115: ✅ WIN. The road Canes did it again, and it was never close in a close-out game.
- Over 5.5 goals: ❌ LOSS. The shutout killed it. Carolina’s first-period control and Bussi’s composure kept the total at exactly three. The under was the right play in an elimination-game spot — lesson for the next run.
- Staal anytime goal (+230): ❌ LOSS. Hall and Blake did the scoring in G6; Staal’s Conn Smythe case rested on his series body of work (six goals). He won the award despite not scoring tonight — a testament to how dominant he was across the six games.
- Dorofeyev anytime goal (+200): ❌ LOSS. Vegas went blanked. Bussi stopped everything.
Jordan Staal: Conn Smythe at 37
The captain. The captain scored six goals in six Stanley Cup Final games. A goal in five consecutive Final games (Games 1 through 5). He opened the scoring in Games 3, 4, and 5. At 37 years old, in what felt like his last realistic shot at a second ring, Staal delivered the postseason of his career. The Conn Smythe vote was not close.
When the captain hoisted the Cup in Las Vegas, it was the kind of ending that sports occasionally produces and almost never deserves to produce as cleanly as this one did.
Brandon Bussi: The Rookie Who Changed Everything
Rod Brind’Amour benched a veteran goalie at 2-2 in the Stanley Cup Final and handed the net to a rookie making his playoff debut. Brandon Bussi went 3-0, posted a shutout in the clincher, and finished the Final with a .931 save percentage. The Conn Smythe went to Staal — deservedly — but Bussi’s emergence was the hinge on which this championship turned. Without Game 4, there is no championship. Without Bussi in Game 4, Carolina likely goes down 3-1.
Series recap
| Game | Date | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Tue Jun 2 | Carolina | VGK 5, CAR 4 — Hertl late GWG |
| G2 | Thu Jun 4 | Carolina | CAR 4, VGK 3 (OT) — Jarvis PP winner |
| G3 | Sat Jun 6 | Vegas | VGK 5, CAR 4 (2OT) — Theodore 2OT; Marner hat trick |
| G4 | Tue Jun 9 | Vegas | CAR 5, VGK 3 — Staal 2g; Bussi debut win |
| G5 | Thu Jun 11 | Carolina | CAR 4, VGK 2 — Svechnikov 2 PP; Staal 6th of series |
| G6 | Sun Jun 14 | Vegas | CAR 3, VGK 0 — HURRICANES WIN THE CUP |
Betting recap: The series card
Looking at the full series through a betting lens, the story was Carolina’s home-ice performance going cold (0-1 at Lenovo in the games that mattered most early) and the road dominance that ultimately defined the championship: CAR went 3-1 away from home in the Final.
The Conn Smythe futures play was the big winner. Staal opened the series at +2000 and closed at +200; anyone who took the early price landed a major return. Bussi anytime save props were extraordinarily profitable across Games 4-6.
What this means for NC bettors
The Hurricanes are now back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup Final (lost in six last year, won in six this year) and have the core to compete again. Futures for the 2026-27 season will open within days. Expect Carolina to be priced somewhere in the +700 to +1000 range to repeat. Jordan Staal’s contract situation will be the off-season storyline.
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