Perfect Storm Knocks Out Golden Knights In SCF Game 6 As Carolina Hurricanes Shut Out VGK To Claim 2026 Stanley Cup Championship
Story by Alan Snel Photos by Hugh Byrne and J. Tyge O’Donnell
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — VGK coach John Tortorella will have to hire FedEx to get his game suit from a hotel in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The man known as “Torts” said after the VGK lost to Carolina in Game 5 in North Carolina that he left his clothing at his hotel in Raleigh for a decisive ultimate Game 7.
But the Carolina Hurricanes closed out the series tonight, four games to two, to win the Cup on Vegas home ice at T-Mobile Arena just like the Washington Capitals did in five games in 2018.
Carolina’s all-around checking and defensive play applied the clamps on the Vegas offense as Brandon Bussi won his third straight game by pitching a shutout in front of an announced crowd of 18,354.
The Golden Knights, notorious for their slow starts and falling behind their opponents this season, lacked a sense of urgency throughout a game that had its season hanging in the balance. Now it’s off to the golf courses for the Golden Knights players.
Meanwhile, Carolina, which piled up the most points in the Eastern Conference, won its second Stanley Cup title in franchise history.
LVSportsBiz.com spoke with NHL Insider, ESPN broadcaster and former NL goalie Kevin Weekes about the VGK slow starts for our “5 questions in 5 minutes” feature, It’s a terrific interview and take a listen:
*
The Golden Knights missed William Karlsson tonight. He absorbed a hit against the boards and he skated off the ice barely moving his arm in the second period of Game 5 in Raleigh where the VGK lost, 4-2, Thursday.
Karlsson’s fellow Misfit, Reilly Smith, was inserted into the lineup, while Tortotella swapped in Kaedan Korczak for Dylan Coghlan as the third defensive pairing. The biggest surprise was Torts taking out Keegan Kolesar and replacing him with Braeden Bowman.
The Knights had one of their notorious slow starts, mustering a mere shot on goal in the first seven minutes and trailing, 1-0, to Carolina on a goal by Taylor Hall. Jaccob Slavin launched Hall with a sweet stretch pass to set up the game’s lone goal through the first half of the game.
The second period featured hockey that hardly resembled the scintillating dramatic ice work we saw in the first four games.
Vegas’ play was reminiscent of its anemic performance displayed against Edmonton in last year’s postseason when the Oilers outmuscled VGK to knock the Knights out of the playoffs.
Another aggressive Carolina play resulted in Jackson Blake’s goal and a Hurricanes 2-0 lead in the middle stanza.
In period three, Vegas could not mount a comeback in a series that will be remembered for historic comebacks in the first four games. Nikolaj Ehlers padded the score with an empty-netter and the Vegas season ended with a disappointing shutout thud.
