After 1,388 games between the regular season and the duration of the playoffs thus far, the Stanley Cup Final is about to begin.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of Tuesday’s Game 1.
Quick facts
Teams: Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes
Home-ice advantage: Carolina Hurricanes
Leading scorers:
- Mitch Marner, VGK, 21 points
- Jack Eichel, VGK, 18 points
- Taylor Hall, CAR, 16 points
- Jackson Blake, CAR, 15 points
Previous championships:
- Golden Knights: 2023
- Hurricanes: 2006
Storylines to follow
Mitch Marner
Throughout Mitch Marner’s nine-year tenure as a star for his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs, he was criticized for not being able to step his game up in the playoffs. The Maple Leafs never made it past the second round during his time there.
Now, in his first season with the Golden Knights, Marner has a chance to win not only the Stanley Cup, but also the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP. He leads the postseason in points, while also playing significant defensive minutes, including 26:10 shorthanded.
He also owns the best highlight-reel goal of these playoffs so far.
Frederik Andersen
The Hurricanes’ biggest question mark heading into the postseason was goaltending, with none of their three goalies above the .900 threshold in save percentage. But Frederik Andersen washed those concerns away as soon as the postseason began.
Andersen has a record of 13-1 in the playoffs thus far, and the only game in which he allowed more than two goals was the team’s lone loss.
It’s long been said that goaltending is the most important position in hockey. If Andersen can maintain this standard for one more series, he and teammate Nikolaj Ehlers could join Lars Eller as the only Danes to win the Stanley Cup.
Finally getting through the East
The Hurricanes have made the playoffs every year since promoting Rod Brind’Amour to head coach in 2018, but they hadn’t made it to the Stanley Cup Final since Brind’Amour was their captain in 2006.
This year was different.
The Canes swept the first two rounds of the playoffs and got out of the Conference Final in just five games. It’s one of the most efficient paths to the Stanley Cup Final since the NHL switched to a four-round format.
But they won’t be satisfied with a loss in the Final.
A new style of management
Early in their NHL tenure, the Golden Knights established a reputation as the league’s supervillain — and it has served them better than anyone could have imagined.
It began when they moved beloved players like Marc-André Fleury, Max Pacioretty and Nate Schmidt for next to nothing to save cap space. They weren’t popular moves, but management believed they would make the team better.
The cutthroat management style was on display with Mark Stone’s annual placement on long-term injured reserve to save cap space, only to have him return in the cap-less playoffs. It was so frowned upon that the NHL changed its rules this season to no longer allow teams to do it.
A lot of people disagreed with the Golden Knights’ decision to sign Carter Hart, who was reinstated into the NHL in December after being acquitted of sexual assault charges. But the Golden Knights needed a goalie and they believed he was their best option, so they signed him.
Although they’ve sustained incredible playoff success throughout their nine NHL seasons, the Golden Knights are already on their fourth coach — the most recent change happening eight games before the playoffs began.
And currently, the team is in hot water for withholding permission for Bruce Cassidy, the coach they fired, to interview with other teams.
But as the saying goes, they don’t ask how — they ask how many. In nine seasons, the Golden Knights have achieved:
- Eight playoff appearances
- Five Conference Final appearances
- Three Stanley Cup Final appearances
- One Stanley Cup championship, with the potential for another this season
Where to watch the 2026 Stanley Cup Final
All Stanley Cup Final games will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN in the United States.
The schedule is as follows. All games begin at 6 p.m. MDT:
- Game 1: Vegas @ Carolina, Tuesday, June 2
- Game 2: Vegas @ Carolina, Thursday, June 4
- Game 3: Carolina @ Vegas, Saturday, June 6
- Game 4: Carolina @ Vegas, Tuesday, June 9
- Game 5 (if necessary): Vegas @ Carolina, Thursday, June 11
- Game 6 (if necessary): Carolina @ Vegas, Sunday, June 14
- Game 7 (if necessary): Vegas @ Carolina, Wednesday, June 17
