Numbers To Remember From The Stanley Cup Final

RALEIGH, N.C. - The NHL's 2025-26 season is officially in the books, and the Carolina Hurricanes are Stanley Cup champions. Their final four wins did not come easily, though, as the Vegas Golden Knights gave them trouble early in the series before Carolina rattled off three straight wins to close it out. Four one-goal games, three overtime periods, 42 total goals (the eighth-most all time for a single Stanley Cup Final), and a 37-year-old Conn Smythe Trophy winner produced some iconic moments and hard-to-believe stats.

The series featured five rather incredible games before the Canes laid the hammer down in Game 6, dominating start to finish and winning 3-0 to clinch their second Stanley Cup. The Canes, the Golden Knights, and the matchup itself all rewrote the history books in different areas, starting just 25 seconds into Game 1.

Game 1

• Nikolaj Ehlers started the series with the fastest goal to start a Stanley Cup Final since 1976, scoring just 25 seconds after the opening puck drop.
• Although Ehlers' early goal got Carolina on the front foot, Vegas became the first road team in NHL history to win Game 1 after trailing by multiple goals.

Game 2

• Trailing 2-0 in the third period, the Canes became the first team since 1944 to win after trailing by two or more goals with less than 10 minutes remaining in a Stanley Cup Final game.
• Thanks to a Seth Jarvis game-winner, the Hurricanes improved to 6-0 in OT in playoffs, becoming the fourth team in NHL history to win six consecutive overtime games during a single postseason.

Game 3

• After Mitch Marner recorded the fastest natural hat trick in Stanley Cup Final history (6:10), the Canes miraculously crawled back to force overtime. Registering the fastest three goals in Stanley Cup Final history (0:39), they were just the second team in NHL history to erase a four-goal deficit in a Stanley Cup Final game, and the first to erase that deficit in the third period.
• Pitching in with a pair of helpers, Sebastian Aho became just the fifth player in NHL history to record at least 10 postseason points in eight straight years (2019-26). He is the first player to record all eight of those postseasons with one team since Mark Messier (1983-1991).

Game 4

• Jackson Blake and Logan Stankoven both scored within 3:28 of the opening faceoff, the second-fastest pair of goals to start a game in franchise history (2024 First Round Game 5: Canes scored twice within 3:13 of puck drop).
• Adding to the lead, Jordan Staal became the first player since 1982 (Mike Bossy) with a four-game goal streak to start the Stanley Cup Final.
• The Canes went on to become the second team in NHL history to score at least four goals in the first four games of a Stanley Cup Final.
• After taking over in net during Game 3, Brandon Bussi became the first undrafted first-year goaltender to start a Stanley Cup Final game since 1970 (Ernie Wakely).

Game 5

• Jordan Staal became the first player since 1973 to score in five straight Stanley Cup Final games, and tied Brad Marchand (2025) as the oldest player ever to score six goals in a single Cup Final.
• Posting three assists, Nikolaj Ehlers became just the 12th player in NHL history to notch consecutive three-point games in a Stanley Cup Final.
• Winning 4-2 on home ice, the Canes became just the second team in NHL history to score at least four goals in the first five games of a Stanley Cup Final, joining the 1973 Canadiens.

Game 6

• Putting the clamps on them in the series-closing contest, the Canes held Vegas shotless for an 18:37 stretch between the second and third periods.
• Starting a third consecutive game, Brandon Bussi became the first goaltender in history to win his first three career playoff starts all in the Stanley Cup Final.
• Finishing the series with 24 goals, the Canes were just the fifth team since 1982 to reach that number in a single Stanley Cup Final.
• With a goal and an assist, Jackson Blake was the first player in franchise history with seven multi-point games in a single postseason.
• Leading his team to its ultimate goal, Rod Brind’Amour etched his name in history as the first individual in the league's expansion era to win the Cup both as a captain and head coach of the same team (since 1967).