The President’s Trophy curse continues as Avs fall to Golden Knighs in WCF
The Vegas Golden Knights are back in the Stanley Cup Final, while the Colorado Avalanche saw their season fall apart fast. USA Today Sports’ Madison Tenenbaum breaks down which storyline is more shocking.
It’s time to battle for the greatest trophy in sports.
The Stanley Cup is on the line as the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights meet up in the 2026 Cup Final, which begins Tuesday, June 2 (8 p.m. ET, ABC) in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Both teams have largely ripped through the playoffs to this point. Carolina is 12-1 in postseason play, its only loss coming in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals, while Vegas is 12-4. After two six-game wins, the Golden Knights swept the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference finals.
While the conference finals matchups didn’t amount to much, the Stanley Cup Final figures to be a different matter with these two teams playing their best. So, who will win?
USA TODAY Sports’ NHL experts made their predictions for the Stanley Cup Final matchup between the Hurricanes and Golden Knights:
Stanley Cup Final predictions: Picks for Hurricanes vs. Golden Knights
Mike Brehm: Hurricanes in 6. Is any team going to be able to get a shot? The Golden Knights clog up the middle and the Hurricanes are on you as you try to get out of the zone. The Golden Knights have pure scorers, but the Hurricanes have the Taylor Hall-Logan Stankoven-Jackson Blake line and a better defense.
Kevin Skiver: Hurricanes in 6. I’ve picked against the Golden Knights every step of the way, so I’m giving them one last chance to make me look stupid. Carolina has looked like a juggernaut throughout this postseason, and the ‘Canes haven’t played down to anyone’s level. John Tortorella has done amazing things with this Vegas bunch. But the Knights come up just short due to a timely resurgence of the Hurricanes’ top line of Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov after a lackluster start to the postseason
Jace Evans: Golden Knights in 6. The Hurricanes enter the Stanley Cup Final an incredible 12-1 in the postseason so perhaps it’s total folly to pick against them and they’re about to complete one of the greatest playoff runs we’ve ever seen. But, I’m doing it. The reason is my faith in the Knights’ top-end talent. They’ve been piling up points this postseason but also possess the defensive ability to stifle Carolina’s best offensive players. Wouldn’t be surprised if we see a few overtimes in this series.
