LAS VEGAS — For the third time in their brief nine-year history, the Vegas Golden Knights will have the Stanley Cup in T-Mobile Arena for an elimination game on Sunday night.
John Tortorella’s squad, which trails the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in the best-of seven Stanley Cup Final, has one simple goal: make sure the NHL has to fly the coveted trophy to Raleigh, N.C., for a Game 7 on Wednesday night.
“It’s crunch time, it’s Game 6, we’re down, and we’ve got to find a way to win and take it back to Raleigh,” Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson said after practice Saturday morning at the team’s Summerlin practice facility.
Vegas is 1-1 in elimination games in Stanley Cup finals. It lost 4-3 in Game 5 to Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals to end the team’s inaugural season in 2018. But the Golden Knights got to skate around their home ice with the Stanley Cup in 2023 when they crushed the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5.
Carolina, the former Hartford Whalers who became the Hurricanes in 1997, will be trying to win its second Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes won it in seven games over the Edmonton Oilers in 2006 with a captain named Rod Brind’Amour, who is now finishing up his eighth season as head coach in Raleigh.
The Hurricanes, who haven’t lost back-to-back games this season since Jan.12-13, will try to close out the series with three straight wins after defeating the Golden Knights 5-3 in Game 4 on Tuesday in Las Vegas and 4-2 in Game 5 on Thursday in Raleigh. Center Jordan Stall has scored a goal in all five games, tying a Stanley Cup Final record, while left wing Nikolaj Ehlers has put up back-to-back three-point games.
Asked what his message was to his team heading into Game 6, Brind’Amour replied, “We’ve got to put our best foot forward. That’s really the message.”
“It’s pretty crazy, but it’s one win away,” defenseman Sean Walker said. “We’ll just go into Vegas with the same mindset that we’ve had all playoffs, play our game and hopefully get the result we want.”
Walker delivered a crushing hit into the boards behind the net on Vegas center William Karlsson in the second period of Thursday’s game with an apparent arm/wrist injury. Karlsson is an original “Golden Misfit” remaining from the Golden Knights’ inaugural roster and a key defender, penalty killer and faceoff man who is plus-5 in the first five games.
Tortorella wouldn’t comment on Karlsson’s potential Game 7 status, but it seems quite possible his season is over either way.
“It obviously sucks losing Will, but it’s a next-man up mentality,” said forward Mitch Marner, who played right wing on Karlsson’s line with Brett Howden. “It’s obviously a tough hole to fill in a way, but at the same time, everyone on the ice has to do a better job defensive-wise helping out and making sure we take advantage of offensive chances.”
Marner, who played some center when Karlsson was sidelined during the regular season, and Tomas Hertl are the likely candidates to take over Karlsson’s center duties while veteran forwards Reilly Smith and Brandon Saad are the top candidates to move into the lineup. Marner leads all NHL players with 29 postseason points, while Howden is tops with 14 goals.
Goaltending has been a big focus in the series with the Hurricanes replacing veteran Frederik Andersen with Brandon Bussi at the start of the third period of an eventual 5-4 double-overtime loss in Game 3. Bussi, a waiver pickup from Florida in October, is expected to remain in net for Game 6, although Brind’Amour said “everyone is available” when asked about his goalie choice.
Meanwhile, Tortorella said Saturday he will stick with Carter Hart in net. This despite the fact Hart has just a .856 save percentage and 3.70 goals-against average in the finals while becoming the first goalie in Stanley Cup final history to allow at least four goals in the first five games of a series.
Vegas backup Adin Hill was a key member of the 2023 Cup-winning team with an 11-4 record, two shutouts, a 2.17 GAA and .932 save percentage in that postseason.
“I know there’s a better game in him,” Tortorella said of Hart. “I’ve seen it throughout the playoffs. I think he’s a very good goalie.”
“I haven’t been the best in this series, and I’ll be better the next game,” Hart said. “They’ve gotten some lucky bounces, and there’s a few plays I’ve got to make more saves, but at the end of the day, I prepare the same way, just like any other game, and I’ll be ready to go.”
