The Hurricanes walked into Game 6 a single win from the second Stanley Cup in franchise history, up 3-2 on Vegas with a chance to clinch on the road. T-Mobile Arena was no easy place to do it, with the Golden Knights 7-3 at home through these playoffs, and the weight of a title on the line made the night heavier still.
Rod Brind’Amour knew the feeling firsthand as a member of Carolina’s 2006 championship team. He called closing out a series “the hardest one,” pointing to the extra distractions that come with a Cup in the building and an opponent that knows how to win and won’t fold. John Tortorella struck a similar note from the other bench, saying his Golden Knights understood the stakes and would be ready, needing only one win to extend the series.
Vegas came in shorthanded, likely without William Karlsson for the rest of the series because of a shoulder injury, and hoping to force a Game 7 back in Raleigh.
Bussi gets the nod again
Carolina’s crease told its own story. For the third straight game, rookie Brandon Bussi drew the start while Frederik Andersen sat as a late scratch, not even dressed for action. Andersen had started every playoff game through Game 3 of the Final before Bussi took over, stepping in after Andersen gave up four goals in the second period of a 5-4 double-overtime loss. Bussi backstopped wins in Games 4 and 5, with Pyotr Kochetkov as the backup, and got the chance to close things out with the Cup at stake.
Hall strikes, Bussi holds
Carolina did what it had done all series and scored first. Taylor Hall pounced on a Vegas giveaway, broke in alone and beat Carter Hart with a slapshot 16:13 into the first for a 1-0 lead. Hart answered with a diving stop to deny Andrei Svechnikov at an open net later in the period, keeping it a one-goal game.
From there it turned into the Bussi show. The rookie turned aside all 10 Vegas shots in the opening period, capped by a diving block in the final seconds, then snagged a puck out of the air on a close call that Vegas argued had crossed the line before replay confirmed the save. He stopped every shot he faced through a run that reached 14-for-14.
The Hurricanes carried the play into the second period without adding to the lead. Vegas went stretches without registering a shot, and through the middle of the second, Carolina still held its 1-0 edge with the championship in sight.
