Hurricanes are “One Win Away” From Ending A Two Decade Long Stanley Cup Drought

The Carolina Hurricanes had a miserable run following their maiden title in 2006, missing out on 11 of the 12 playoffs between 2006 and 2018.

Hurricanes are “One Win Away” From Ending A Two Decade Long Stanley Cup Drought

Lenovo Center was buzzing with energy after the Carolina Hurricanes won Game 5 (Image via @Canes on X)

The Carolina Hurricanes didn’t have the best start but they are absolutely sailing in the Stanley Cup Finals. In Game 5 of the series, the Canes took their first lead in the series after a thrilling 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights at Raleigh.

The Canes are now 3-2 and can seal their first-ever title in twenty long years and only their second in their franchise history with a win on Sunday. The Canes won the league for the first time in 2006, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7, led by striking performances by Cam Ward, Eric Staal, and Cory Stillman. The Canes’ head coach Rod Brind’Amour was also part of the pack that year with 18 points.

The Prince of Wales trophy winners once again found the Vegas net four times, extending their active streak of scoring four or more goals to seven games. It was Vegas, who opened the goal account in Raleigh with Pavel Dorofeyev finding the net to capitalize on a power play.

Jordan Staal, who’s having a delightful time in the final series, equalized the game in the first period itself. Staal, assisted by Nikolaj Ehlers and Seth Jarvis, has become only the fourth captain in NHL history to score six or more goals in the final series.

Andrei Svechnikov extended the lead with a power-play goal to 2-1 and later capitalized on another power-play to net the home team’s fourth and final goal. Sebastian Aho also found the net. Ehlers recorded three assists, the two Svechnikov PPGs and the Staal opener. Dorofeyev found the net once more in the final period, but the scoreline wasn’t extended further and the Canes extended their dominance.

Brandon Bussi, who replaced Frederik Andersen in the net for Game 4, made 23 saves. Meanwhile, Carter Hart, the goalie on the other end, scripted an unwanted history of being the first goaltender to concede four or more goals in each of the five games of the Stanley Cup Finals. Hart was also the first one to do this in four games, a record painted on him in the last match.

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Vegas hasn’t lost confidence yet, plans to force Hurricanes into Game 7

North Carolina is buzzing, much like New York. The Carolina Hurricanes can taste the sweet success, but the Vegas Golden Knights haven’t given up yet. The venue shifts for the next game, where the Golden Knights will have their fortress behind them throughout the game.

Carter Hart
Carter Hart (Image via ESPN)

John Tortorella, Vegas’ head coach, hasn’t shied away from the bold claims either. In the post-game conference, the seasoned head coach went as far as to claim that he’s leaving his clothes at the hotel in Raleigh, as he’s planned to come back. Tortorella said in the post-game press conference:

We’ll be back here. We’re just going to do it in a different order. I’m going to leave my clothes here. That’s for sure. They’ll be in the hotel.

It won’t be an easy task either. The Golden Knights had another setback in addition to losing the game on Thursday; they also lost one of their important players in William Karlsson. Karlsson, one of the original members of the expansion draft, plays a significant role in preventing opponents from making dangerous entries into the goal zone.

With Carter Hart’s recent slump in form, Karlsson’s absence following a nasty hit to his left arm will be more pronounced. While Rod Brind’Amour was all up for a goaltender replacement, Tortorella’s planning to stick with Hart. He even chided a reporter for suggesting bringing in Adin Hill, calling the question “Oh Christ, that might be the stupidest question I’ve ever heard.”

The Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights return to action in the potential championship decider Game 6 at the T-Mobile Arena on Sunday, June 14.

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