2026 Stanley Cup Final: Hurricanes win second championship with shutout of Golden Knights in Game 6

Last edited Mon Jun 15, 2026, 01:50 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: ABC/CBS Sports

For the first time in 20 years, the Carolina Hurricanes are Stanley Cup champions. With a 3-0 win in Game 6, the Hurricanes eliminated the Vegas Golden Knights and secured their place in hockey history.

With the Stanley Cup on the line, Carolina's best line of the playoffs came through one more time. Taylor Hall kicked off the scoring just 3:47 into the game when he beat Carter Hart on a breakaway attempt for his seventh goal of the playoffs.

Assisting on that goal was Jackson Blake, who matched Hall with his seventh tally of the playoffs in the second period. Logan Stankoven logged his fifth assist of the playoffs on that play, and that trio finished the postseason with a combined 54 points.

As good as Carolina's second line was, goaltender Brandon Bussi was the story of this game. In his fourth playoff appearance -- and just his third start -- Bussi became the third first-year goalie in NHL history to post a shutout in a Cup-clinching game. That last netminder to do that was Earl Robertson of the Detroit Red Wings way back in 1937.

Read more: https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/2026-stanley-cup-final-game-6-live-updates-score-highlights/live/

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Carolina Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup

The Carolina Hurricanes are 20 minutes away from the Stanley Cup as they take a 2-0 lead into the second intermission of Game 6. The Vegas Golden Knights have some serious work to do if they want to force a Game 7 in this series.

After a decent push from the Golden Knights in the first period, the Hurricanes completely stifled them in the second. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin has been everywhere on defense, particularly when it comes to taking away easy zone entries for Vegas' best players.

The Golden Knights didn't put a shot on goal in the final 15:43 of the middle frame. That won't do it if they want to overcome this multi-goal deficit.

Offensively, the line that carried the Hurricanes all postseason is doing it again in the biggest game of the year. Taylor Hall got the scoring started in the first period, and Jackson Blake doubled the lead in the second. Those two have now combined for 14 goals in the postseason.

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