It’s Vegas Vs Carolina For Stanley Cup Title; VGK Visit Raleigh June 2 and 4; Vegas Hosts Game 3 on June 6 and Game 4 on June 9
By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada –– The Vegas Golden Knights know their Stanley Cup Final foe.
It’s the Carolina Hurricanes, which defeated Montreal, 6-1, Friday and won 12 of their 13 postseason games after finishing with the Eastern Conference’s best record.
In the modern National Hockey League, it’s Nevada vs North Carolina for pro hockey supremacy. The Sunbelt has won the last three Cups — Florida in 2024 and 2025 and Vegas in 2023.
The VGK swept the Colorado Avalanche, the team with the NHL’s best record, to reach the Cup Final after beating Utah in Round 1 and Anaheim in Round 2.
Game 1 of Vegas vs Carolina is June 2 in Raleigh. Game 2 will be Thursday in Carolina.
Then the Final shifts to Southern Nevada where the Golden Knights will host Game 3 on June 6 and Game 4 on June 9.
Montreal had won two Game 7s on the road against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1 and then the Buffalo Sabres in Round 2 before running into a red-hot Carolina squad that swept both Ottawa and Philadelphia. The Habs rook Game 1 against the Hurricanes after Carolina had an 11-day layoff before Carolina ripped off four straight wins, including 4-0 in Game 4 and a 6-1 clincher in Game 5 tonight.
It’s the first Stanley Cup Final appearance for the Carolina Hurricanes in 20 years.
Like Carolina, the Golden Knights are also a well-oiled machine this postseason. They won the Cup in Season 6 against Florida in 2023 after losing the Cup Final to Washington in Season 1 in 2018.
