Stanley Cup Finals Preview: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Carolina Hurricanes

After 82 regular season games and three rounds of the postseason, the NHL season has reached its zenith as the Stanley Cup Finals are on the horizon. A pair of division winners will represent their respective conferences in an effort to claim Lord Stanley’s chalice. Therefore, with that in mind, let’s take a look at the matchup and how the teams match up for the best-of-seven series.

The Matchup

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Records:

Vegas (39-26-17 regular season, 12-4 postseason)Carolina (53-22-7 regular season, 12-1 postseason)

How They Got Here

Vegas:

• Won Pacific Division with 95 points
• Beat Utah in six games in the first round
• Beat Anaheim in six games in the second round
• Beat Colorado in four games in the Western Conference Finals

Carolina:

• Won Metropolitan Division with 113 points
• Beat Ottawa in four games in the first round
• Beat Philadelphia in four games in the second round
• Beat Montreal in five games in Eastern Conference Finals

Schedule

Game 1: Vegas at Carolina, 8 p.m. ET, Tuesday, June 2

Game 2: Vegas at Carolina, 8 p.m. ET, Thursday, June 4

Game 3: Carolina at Vegas, 8 p.m. ET, Saturday, June 6

Game 4: Carolina at Vegas, 8 p.m. ET, Tuesday, June 9

*Game 5: Vegas at Carolina, 8 p.m. ET, Thursday, June 11

*Game 6: Carolina at Vegas, 8 p.m. ET, Sunday, June 14

*Game 7: Vegas at Carolina, 8 p.m. ET, Wednesday, June 17

* - if necessary

Stats to Know

Vegas is:

• 2nd in the league in the postseason in scoring offense (3.63 goals per game)
• 3rd in goals against (2.38)
• 4th in power play success (23.9%)
• 5th in penalty killing (87.5%)

Carolina is:

• 7th in the league in the postseason in scoring offense (3.23 goals per game)
• 1st in goals against (1.62)
• Tied for 12th in power play success (12.5%)
• 2nd in penalty killing (92.5%)

A Look at the Matchup

Vegas won both regular season meetings between the teams this season, prevailing 4-1 at home and 6-3 on the road. It’s important to note those games came in an eight-day span back in October. Things crystallized and the teams adapted quite a bit since those early season tilts. While Frederik Andersen started both games for Carolina in the regular season, Vegas was different. Neither goaltender that faced Carolina in the regular season (Akira Schmid or Adin Hill) are likely to see a ton of action. Instead, Carter Hart, who was out of the league for nearly 21 months before being signed in October, is the likely starter.

Hart was 11-3-3 with a 2.71 GAA and an .891 save percentage in 18 regular season starts. Meanwhile, in the postseason, he is 12-4 with a 2.22 GAA and a .922 save percentage in 16 starts. Mitch Marner leads the league in postseason scoring with 21 points (seven goals) while Jack Eichel has 14 assists. In addition, Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden share the postseason lead with 10 goals each. Howden is especially jarring seeing he didn’t score more than nine goals in any of his first six seasons. After scoring 23 in 80 games last year, he dropped to 12 in 58 contests this year.

Meanwhile, Andersen seemed to flip a switch in the postseason. He was a pedestrian 16-14-5 with a 3.05 GAA and an .874 save percentage. Andersen ceded the lion’s share of the work to Brandon Bussi, who was 31-6-2 with a 2.47 GAA, 894 save percentage and two shutouts. In the postseason, however, Andersen has been lights out. He is 12-1 with a 1.41 GAA, a .931 save percentage and three shutouts. In addition, all three numbers lead the league in the postseason. Taylor Hall leads the Hurricanes with 16 points (five goals) with Jackson Blake (15 points) right behind. Logan Stankoven paces Carolina with nine goals in the postseason.