The Carolina Hurricanes have advanced to the final. © APA / BRUCE BENNETT

Hurricanes secure Stanley Cup Finals against Vegas

The Carolina Hurricanes have advanced to the Stanley Cup Final after a convincing home victory against the Montreal Canadiens. They will face the Vegas Golden Knights in the final series.

30 May 2026

From: apa

The Hurricanes secured their NHL championship hopes with a 6-1 home victory against the Canadiens. The hosts jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, and the Canadiens never really got into the game. The Hurricanes clinched the best-of-seven series 4-1. The Las Vegas team had previously defeated the Colorado Avalanche in just four games.

The Stanley Cup Finals begin in the early hours of Wednesday morning (2:00 a.m. CEST) with a home game for the Hurricanes. The series will be decided in a home game for Las Vegas on June 9 (local time), at the earliest two days before the start of the FIFA World Cup. If the series goes to a seventh game, the Stanley Cup champion will be crowned on June 17 (local time).

NHL first: Only one loss on the way to the Finals

According to US media reports, the Hurricanes are the first team since the introduction of best-of-seven series in 1987 to reach the Stanley Cup Finals with only one playoff loss. Aside from the Canadiens in the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals, no team has defeated the Hurricanes in the playoffs. This marks the Hurricanes' first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final since their victory 20 years ago.

The Hurricanes have advanced to the NHL finals with a convincing victory. © APA / BRUCE BENNETT

For many players on both teams, the situation before Game 5 against the Canadiens was emotionally challenging. The day before the game, news broke of the death of hockey legend Claude Lemieux. The four-time Stanley Cup winner had relationships with many current players as an agent.