The Carolina Hurricanes host the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final tonight. Puck drop from Levovo Center in Raleigh is set for 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
The Hurricanes, who have cruised into the final with a 12-1 playoff record, defeated the Canadiens in the Eastern Conference final. The Golden Knights stunned top-seeded Colorado in the Western Conference final, sweeping the Avalanche in four games.
DraftKings is dealing Carolina as a -155 favorite to win the series.
Best Bet Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes: Carolina Wins in Six
The Hurricanes have steamrolled their competition, with their only loss coming to Montreal after an 11-day break. Don’t expect any signs of rust in Game 1 after Carolina ousted Montreal on Friday.
The Canes rank second among all NHL playoff teams in shots with 438. They funnel everything toward the net, as evidenced in their last game out. Carolina peppered Montreal goalie Jakub Dobes with 29 shots en route to a 6-1 rout.
Carolina leads all playoff teams in shot-attempts percentage at even strength and time spent in the offensive zone. Carolina’s penalty kill has also been exceptional. The Canes have killed off 92.5% of opponent power plays.
Offensively, the line of Jackson Blake, Logan Stankoven, and Taylor Hall has paced Carolina during the playoffs.
- Blake (5 goals, 10 assists)
- Stankoven (9 goals, 3 assists)
- Hall (5 goals, 11 assists)
It’s been 20 years since Carolina reached the Stanley Cup Final. The Hurricanes won their first and only Stanley Cup to date in 2026 with current head coach Rod Brind’Amour serving as captain of that team.
This time, he’ll win his first Cup as a head coach.
Pick: Hurricanes win series, 4-2 (+450)
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner: Freddie Andersen (+210)
The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded to the most valuable player during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Carolina goalie Freddie Andersen is the second betting choice at FanDuel behind Vegas sniper Mitch Marner, who has amassed seven goals and 21 points during the postseason.
Andersen’s body of playoff work is astounding. The 36-year-old Dane leads all playoff net minders with a 12-1 record, 1.31 goals against average, and a .931 save percentage.
If Andersen continues his stellar play — or performs reasonably well in a Carolina Cup-clinching series — the Conn Smythe Trophy will be his. Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy was the last goaltender to win the award in 2021.
