hurricanes – JD's Sportscorner

The NHL Stanley Cup finals are set. Vegas and Carolina have deep rosters and savvy coaches. Their power-plays and penalty kills are some of the best since playoffs began. Whichever team wins the finals deserves the accolades and label of champion. It is time to break down which one has the best chance of winning the finals and taking home both the Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup.

#4 Vegas Golden Knights v. #1 Carolina Hurricanes

Centers Jack Eichel (9) and Jordan Staal (11) mirror each other’s style of play.

The two most disciplined, veteran and talented teams made the Stanley Cup finals. Both coaches won a championship two decades ago and have evolved in how they see the game. While Rod Brind’Amour has been involved with Carolina for decades, John Tortorella was hired by the Golden Knights with eight games left in the regular season. Interestingly, both coaches are perfect fits for the teams they lead.

From Tortorella’s philosophy of constant shot-blocking and self-discipline on defense, to layers of scoring depth and a dangerous power-play, Vegas has played their best hockey in the postseason. There were reasons to think the Golden Knights would not make it this far after eliminating two younger teams the first two rounds. Yet, Vegas has played better the more quality the opponent and near elimination. It will be very hard to beat the Golden Knights in a best of seven.

Carolina though, has been the most dominant team this postseason. The Hurricanes became the fastest team to notch 12 wins in 13 playoff games. Their second line of Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven and Nikolaj Ehlers have single-handedly eliminated all three prior opponents. Goaltender Frederik Andersen has been a brick wall in net every win. At one point, Andersen replicated records from the legend Jacques Plante no one came close to in 60 years. Two sweeps has Carolina in the best shape they’ve been in this entire season.

Series deciding factor: Golden Knights defense versus the Hurricanes second line

The Hurricanes second line of Hall, Stankoven and Ehlers have impressed because all three are talented veterans who have been in the postseason several times prior to this year. The trio had a season to learn each other’s patterns and play to everyone’s strengths. While all three are dangerous on breakaways and open ice, Hall, Stankoven and Ehlers are most lethal five-on-five. Ottawa, Philadelphia and Montreal learned the hard way how goals by all three feel worse than giving up power-play goals.

Despite the trio’s scorching postseason, Vegas’ defense is deeper, championship ready and addicted to pain when they deflect shots. Rasmus Andersson, Dylan Coghlan, Noah Hanifin, Ben Hutton, Brayden McNabb, Shea Theodore and Kaedan Korczak are massive (the shortest among them being 6’1″) and command respect once opposing offenses get to work in the Golden Knights defensive zone. It’s one thing for young offenses in Utah and Anaheim to struggle, but what they did to Nathan MacKinnon, Artturi Lehkonen, Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, Ross Colton and Valeri Nichushkin was textbook defense the other 29 teams will watch film on this offseason. Andersson, Korczak and Hanifin might be new to the championship lights, but McNabb, Theodore and Hutton are not.

Verdict: Coach John Tortorella has relished a return to the Stanley Cup finals for at least a decade. His calculated discipline and evolved tactics have made him one of the few coaches to be a candidate for any open coaching position when he isn’t behind the bench. This is a perfect fit in Vegas; the roster is mature, well disciplined and committed to defense while having a layered, high-scoring offense. The Golden Knights retained a lot of their 2022-23 Cup winning roster. That is a big reason Vegas has fared better than even the league best Avalanche and should be seen as a favorite to win this series. The Golden Knights could surprise many again and play their best series in the finals.

The biggest thing to consider is how Carolina beat three, inexperienced playoff teams to make the finals. The Hurricanes handled one playoff loss well, but the question is how will they respond when championship winning veterans and a strong-willed coach behind the bench on the other side constantly pushes back on defense and special teams? This is an older, more disciplined Golden Knights roster that enjoys physical play and making opponents uncomfortable. Carolina finally made it to the finals, but this series will add more valuable lessons for coach Brind’Amour and how the will to win isn’t just about smothering inexperienced teams. It demands constant changes against serious veterans, something the coach found out in his first finals as a player back in the 2001-02 season.

The Hurricanes and Golden Knights will have to earn goals and wins by beating each other up by the boards.

Prediction: Vegas Golden Knights defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 and win their second Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.

Conn Smythe winner: Goaltender Carter Hart

Conference finals picks record: 1-1

The NHL’s eastern conference was the first to have every playoff spot clinched, and seeding was final after Tuesday evening. With Florida out of the playoff picture, many wonder if Carolina and Tampa Bay can finally return to the conference championships or go further. Many believe the Hurricanes or the Lightning will make the finals. Elsewhere, Montreal, Ottawa and Philadelphia improved this season but drew difficult first round opponents. Boston and Pittsburgh have the capabilities to make deep playoff runs. The Buffalo Sabres didn’t just return to the Stanley Cup playoffs, they did so by dominating the last four months and won the Atlantic division. Only four teams will advance to the second round. Time to break down which four have the best chance.

#8 Ottawa Senators v. #1 Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina’s depth players like defenseman Jalen Chatfield (5) will determine how fast this series ends.

Two of the NHL’s hottest teams should have a fun first round series. Ottawa and Carolina mirror each other in several ways. From hard-hitting goal scorers to questions in net all season, the Senators and Hurricanes are a great test for each other.

In this case, the more veteran team should win this series. This is the second postseason appearance for coach Travis Green’s roster, and it’s against a finals favorite opponent. Carolina’s one of the most complete NHL teams and have a lot more depth in every position. Ottawa’s defense has improved, but their penalty kill remains one of the league’s worst. The Hurricanes’ better defense and offensive firepower might be too much for the younger Senators the longer this series goes.

Prediction: Hurricanes win series 4-1

#7 Boston Bruins v. #2 Buffalo Sabres

Boston and Buffalo should have an energizing, physical first round series against each other.

Congratulations to Buffalo for snapping their 14 year playoff drought. No NHL team had gone that long missing the postseason. It is still bizarre to see the Sabres this good after they started the first two months of the 2025 regular season playing sub-.500 hockey.

Still, Buffalo is a serious threat for any team wanting to reach the finals. Boston is a good test for the most inexperienced NHL playoff team. The veteran Bruins also surprised viewers with their scoring depth and shutdown defense. Although star forward David Pastrnak has been in a goal drought this month, Boston had a top 15 (11th) offense and a top ten (ninth) power-play. Despite those accomplishments, it’s the Sabres offense that will swarm the Bruins defense each game, much like they did almost every other opponent since mid-December. Boston’s playoff experienced offense has more advantages against a bend-but-don’t-break Buffalo defense. That latter matchup favors Boston in an inevitable long series.

Eastern conference upset prediction: Bruins win series 4-2

#4 Montreal Canadiens v. #3 Tampa Bay Lightning

Montreal’s defense faces a tough task of stopping one of the NHL’s premier offenses and power-plays in Tampa Bay.

This series closely resembles the Ottawa-Carolina series. We see two great teams with the potential to make this the best first round series. One team is led by a young, talented core of hard-hitting scorers while the other is filled with championship veterans and a respected Stanley Cup winner behind the bench. Both teams pushed each other around in their regular season matchups.

Unlike the Senators though, the Canadiens were great almost the entire season. However, they’re still an inexperienced playoff team. The Lightning may not have captain and franchise star defenseman Victor Hedman (due to a leave of absence), but they want to rid their memories from the last few disastrous postseason trips. A younger Montreal in the first round is a perfect opponent to get back to their championship winning ways. This series should go longer than Ottawa-Carolina, but the result will be the same.

Prediction: Lightning win series 4-2

#6 Philadelphia Flyers v. #5 Pittsburgh Penguins

The Battle of Pennsylvania will have a lot of new faces, like Philadelphia’s Trevor Zegras

Talk about an unexpected first round series matchup! Neither team was expected to make the playoffs for a number of reasons. Coaching was a big factor. After a decade of Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh moved on and hired Dan Muse. Muse instantly turned things around for both the defense and special teams. Defenseman Erik Karlsson plays like the former Norris trophy winner older fans remembered. Forward Anthony Mantha led the team with 32 goals after he was poached in free agency from Washington. Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust added depth scoring and made the power-play more dangerous.

Philadelphia’s coach Rick Tocchet made sure the offense took a few steps forward while the defense retained its identity and stability. It was important free agent addition Trevor Zegras had a breakout season and Matvei Michkov grew in his sophomore year. The Flyers offense benefitted from both of them helping out forwards Owen Tippett, Christian Dvorak and long-time veteran Travis Konecny to get on the scoreboard almost every game.

This series should go the distance since neither team has a complete edge in any one area except special teams. Pittsburgh has the edge on offense, but Philadelphia has the edge on defense. Special teams easily favor the Penguins since the Flyers were dead last on the power-play. However, this is an intense in-state rivalry, meaning anything could happen any given night. Regardless of what the rosters look like, Pittsburgh is the more determined team and has a more experienced roster that will get them past any hardships the younger, energetic Philadelphia throws at them.

Prediction: Penguins win series 4-3

Regular season eastern conference playoffs prediction record: 3-5

Tag: hurricanes

2026 NHL Stanley Cup Finals Prediction

2026 NHL Eastern Conference First Round Playoff Predictions