Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 to capture the NHL’s Stanley Cup on Sunday, ending a 20-year wait for their second crown. Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake, and Nikolaj Ehlers scored, and goalie Brandon Bussi made 22 saves for Carolina, who completed a 4-2 series triumph in Las Vegas in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final, two decades after their 2006 victory.
With the end in sight in a series that saw multi-goal deficits erased in each of the first four games, the Hurricanes’ suffocating defense gave the Golden Knights precious few opportunities. Carolina seized the initiative as Hall scored at 3:47 of the first period, ripping a shot over the glove of Vegas goalie Carter Hart. Carolina kept the pressure on, and Hart had to make a diving save on a shot from Andrei Svechnikov after Hart was caught out of position behind the net late in a Hurricanes power play.
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Hurricanes goalie Bussi kept it 1-0 through one period with a diving save of his own on a Vegas power play to end the period. Blake made it 2-0 at 13:31 of the second period when he fired in a shot off a feed from Logan Stankoven. Vegas went without a shot on goal for almost 19 minutes spanning the second and third periods and were unable to take advantage of a power play late in the third as Blake Eichel hit the crossbar. Bussi stood firm as a desperate Vegas pressed late, and Ehlers sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the waning minutes.
Carolina captain Jordan Staal, who piled up six goals in the first five games of the series, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs. The 37-year-old Staal became the oldest player to win the award as he earned a second Stanley Cup, 17 years after a championship run with the Pittsburgh Penguins. “I mean, you want to win it again and again and again,” Staal said. “And what a feeling. What a battle. The boys were grinding today, my goodness. So many individual efforts just to keep the puck out of our net … I’m just so proud of these guys.”
Bussi, who took over in goal in game three of the series, had a big hug for the man he replaced, Frederik Andersen, as soon as the victory was secured. He thanked coach Rod Brind’Amour — who captained the Hurricanes in their 2006 title run — for having faith in him. “It was a little weird (to) kind of get thrust in there in a way, but he believed in me,” Bussi said. “He gave me that shot, so I’m always going to be forever grateful.”
© 2024 AFP
