It’s down to two teams. The Vegas Golden Knights, fresh off a sweep of the Cup favorite Avalanche, will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina to square off with the Carolina Hurricanes. It’s a Stanley Cup Final full of star talent, an appropriate end to a wild 2026 NHL season.

Let’s dig into a preview, prediction, and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for this Stanley Cup Final between the Hurricanes and Golden Knights.

Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes Preview

Two months ago, the Golden Knights fired head coach Bruce Cassidy with eight games left in the regular season. It was a move that showed their frustration with the season, in which they were unable to separate themselves from the pack in a terrible Pacific Division despite their immense talent and experience. John Tortorella, a veteran behind NHL benches, was brought in to spark a turnaround. And boy, has that worked.

With Torts in charge, the Knights won seven of their last eight regular-season games, winning the division by two points and grabbing the second seed in the West. They handled the Utah Mammoth 4-2 in the first round in what was an awfully chippy series. It’s not the Stanley Cup Playoffs without a death threat or two. Vegas’ 4-2 win over the division rival Anaheim Ducks was a testy one as well, setting up a conference finals matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. The President’s Trophy winners and Stanley Cup favorites didn’t scare the Knights; they swept them clean out of the playoffs to reach their third Stanley Cup Final since joining the league in 2017.

It feels like we have to throw out everything we saw from these Knights in the regular season. After finishing middle of the pack offensively and defensively, they’ve taken off in the postseason. Mitch Marner, chased out of Toronto for his playoff failings, leads the playoffs in total points. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, and Pavel Dorofeyev are keeping things humming offensively. On the defensive end, the Knights are giving up only 2.2 goals per game, as their blue line has stepped up alongside some strong checking forwards. Torts has these boys humming, and they’re going to be a handful in this Final.

Carolina has been a wagon start to finish. After winning the Metropolitan Division and top seed in the Eastern Conference, the Canes went on a romp through the East. They started by sweeping the Ottawa Senators in the first round, before dispatching the Philadelphia Flyers in the same manner. After the Canadiens halted the winning streak in Game 1 and stole home ice advantage, Carolina responded with four straight wins to close out the series. Game 5 was typical Carolina: smothering checking, superior goaltending, and a well-balanced offense that was lethal on the power play. They raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and never looked back.

For the Hurricanes to capture this Cup, they need to keep doing what they’ve been doing. Rolling four lines and three pairings has kept them balanced; all 20 of their skaters in these playoffs have a positive plus-minus. The defense has dominated throughout the playoffs, with Frederik Andersen playing the best hockey of his life; the 36-year-old netminder leads all playoff goalies in save percentage, GAA, and shutouts. If they keep the pressure on Vegas’ top forwards while wearing them down with depth, the Cup may come back to Raleigh for the first time in 20 years.

It’s a classic playoff hockey story. One team dominating for the entire season, the other finding a way to play their best hockey when the lights are the brightest. But only one team gets the silverware.

Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes Prediction, Pick

The Knights are no fluke under Torts. They have top-end talent and a lot of roster continuity from the 2023 Cup-winning team. Hard-nosed and disciplined defense, plus a couple of elite lines, is more than enough to win Lord Stanley’s cup when things are clicking.

But I can’t pick against these Hurricanes. The businesslike fashion they showed while mowing down the East was awe-inspiring. Watching this team, you wouldn’t think this is their first Stanley Cup run; they look like a group trying to add more hardware to a stacked trophy case.

Carolina, as a -155 outright favorite to win the series, doesn’t scream value. But if we take them on a series spread at -1.5 games, we’re getting the kind of value we need.