Carolina Hurricanes win Stanley Cup for second time in franchise history

The Carolina Hurricanes captured the Stanley Cup for the second time in franchise history on Sunday, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 of the finals to win the series 4-2.

Carolina's first Stanley Cup came in 2006, while the Golden Knights were the 2023 champions. The Hurricanes lost only three games throughout the entire playoffs, two of which came in the finals.

Goaltender Brandon Bassey stopped all 22 shots he faced, while the Hurricanes also fired 22 shots on Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart, with the final goal coming into an empty net.

Jacob Slavin opened the scoring at 4:01 of the first period, sending a pass from the defensive zone to Taylor Hall, who broke in alone and scored. Jackson Blake made it 2-0 at 14:03 of the second period with a shot from the slot that deflected in. With 68 seconds left in regulation and Hart pulled for an extra attacker, Nikolaj Ehlers sealed the win with an empty-net goal.

Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour, who captained the team to the finals 20 years ago, won his first Stanley Cup as a coach. Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella had last won a championship 22 years ago with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Last year, the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 in the finals. The Panthers had a poor regular season this year and were eliminated early, while the Oilers failed to advance past the first round.