Stanley Cup final preview: Who will win clash between Hurricanes and Golden Knights?

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Considering he had some of the worst regular-season numbers this year — his .874 SV% was 55th amongst goaltenders to play 25 games or more — this is quite the career renaissance.

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If Vegas wins, it’ll probably be Marner taking home the Conn Smythe. If Carolina wins, it could be Andersen.

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On the other side, Golden Knights goalie Carter Hart has been the second-best netminder of the playoffs. He has a .924 SV% in 16 games, and allowed only seven goals in that sweep of the Avalanche, the highest-scoring team in the regular season.

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Hart played six seasons for the Philadelphia Flyers before signing a two-year, $4-million contract with Vegas last October. He missed the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign while on suspension, being one of five players on Canada’s 2018 world junior team who was accused of committing sexual assault.

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Hart was found not guilty last July and his suspension was lifted on Dec. 1.

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Torts vs. Rod

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John Tortorella was hired to replace Bruce Cassidy with eight games remaining in the regular season. The Golden Knights promptly went 7-0-1 to capture the Pacific Division title by two points over the Edmonton Oilers, took down the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks in six games each and then did what they did to Colorado.

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It could turn out to be the greatest new coach bump of all-time.

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Tortorella, a Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, admittedly has altered his infamously demanding, fiery coaching style after taking over behind the Vegas bench. In his 40th year of coaching professional hockey, he’s trusting his players more, recognizing that the Golden Knights already understand what it takes to win.

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Tortorella did get himself and the team in hot water for failing to appear for mandatory post-game media availability following the series-clinching win against Anaheim. That stunt cost Torts $100,000 and the team lost a second-round pick.

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While Vegas’ old dog learns more new tricks, Brind’Amour is still relaying the same message his club has heard for eight seasons now.

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And while it took them long enough to get here, it’s hard to argue that persistence hasn’t paid off.

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The Hurricanes score first (11 of 13 games this playoffs) and then lock it down. They suffocate opponents in the neutral zone and smother any puck carrier crafty enough to gain the blue line, and the vast majority of shots allowed are from the perimeter.

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While they have a tendency to become slightly undisciplined at times, their penalty kill is unflappable, rolling at 92.5% in the post-season.

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Brind’Amour has everyone on the same page.

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What is the final schedule?

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Finishing with 18 more points in the regular season, the Hurricanes will have home-ice advantage in the final. The series will kick off in Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday night.

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All games will be broadcasted in Canada on CBC, Sportsnet and TVAS.

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