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20 years ago, then-captain Rod Brind’Amour lifted the first Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup. On Sunday night, head coach Brind’Amour lifted the second. After falling behind 2-1 in the series that was shaping up to be an all-timer, the Canes turned it around with three straight wins, including two on the road, to put the Vegas Golden Knights on ice.
Carolina Hurricanes earn second Stanley Cup title
The first four games of the Stanley Cup Finals were marked by incredible comebacks. No lead, not even 4-0 in the third period, was safe between the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights. The first five games were marked by pretty substantial goals scored. Every game had six or more goals to that point, and all but Game 5 had seven or more goals.
But in Game 6, with the Golden Knights facing elimination on their home ice, that all changed. What ensued was the first shutout of the series, and before an empty-netter that sealed it in the closing minutes, the Canes clung desperately to a 2-0 lead.
Rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi continued his historic series by keeping the Knights out of the net despite several high-danger chances created. The Knights just couldn’t break the seal, and their furious effort to get on the board after pulling Carter Hart somehow didn’t result in a goal.
Hart, to his credit, had his best game. He had multiple incredible saves to keep the Golden Knights in it, which comes after he made history as the only goalie in Stanley Cup Final history to allow four or more goals in five contests. He only allowed the two and made 20 saves.
Jordan Staal wins Conn Smythe
Up until Game 5, it looked like Mitch Marner was a lock for the Conn Smythe, win or lose. The Golden Knights forward led all players in points, and because the Carolina Hurricanes had a much more balanced approach to scoring, there was no clear-cut option on the other side. Had the series gone seven, things might’ve been different.
Then Marner went silent. He didn’t record a point in Games 5 and 6. Meanwhile, Jordan Staal, who had been silent mostly until the Final, recorded six goals in the first five games, becoming the oldest player to set that streak. Brandon Bussi was incredibly in goal, but he’d only appeared in three contests. Had Marner kept up his hot streak, he might’ve won in spite of losing the series.
That left the voters with an interesting decision, especially after Taylor Hall, leading goal scorer for the Hurricanes, tallied another, while Staal and Marner were held without a point in the clincher. Ultimately, the voters decided Staal’s legendary start to the series was enough in a six-game victory.
Staal said of the 20-year drought that he was involved with much of, “That’s a lot of years. It’s amazing. This is something I’ve been going after ever since we got the first one. You want to win it again and again and again. What a feeling, what a battle. The boys were grinding today, my goodness. So many individual efforts just to keep the puck out of our net. It was an amazing ride. I’m just so proud of these guys.”
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