Stanley Cup Final Game 6 Live Blog between Hurricanes, Golden Knights

Welcome to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights. The Hurricanes lead the best-of-7 series 3-2 and can win the Cup with a victory on Sunday.

NHL.com Editor-in-Chief Bill Price is in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to provide all the sights, sounds and highlights.

8:35 p.m. ET 

We have 10:36 left in first, and there are "Bussi, Bussi" chants here in Vegas after he keeps the puck out of the net after a good chance that saw the puck bounce around off the back of the net and into the crease, but it didn't go in. 

It's 1-0 Carolina with 10:38 left in the first. 

The Hurricanes have gotten to their game early, putting a lot of pressure on the Vegas defense, employing a pretty heavy forecheck and keeping the Vegas offense on its heels. In fact, Vegas needed almost six minutes to get its first shot on goal.  

And a place that had a party atmosphere here feels a bit worried already. 

The next goal in this game could be huge.

8:30 p.m. ET

The Hurricanes get the start they want, Taylor Hall scoring at 3:47 on a mini breakaway, beating Carter Hart clean over the glove. 

The play came after Vegas was hit with a delayed offside. Hall was able to sneak behind the Vegas defense and get the pass on the boards and come in on Hart. 

Certainly not the start Vegas wanted.

8:27 p.m. ET 

We are a few minutes in and there is certainly an air of tension here. 

Vegas needs to win or the season's over. 

Neither team is taking many chances early. In the first 3:17 of the game, Carolina had the only shot on goal. 

And again, lots of Canes fans. They booed at the 2:01 mark when a close icing call went against Carolina. 

Former Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was the siren guy tonight, which was really cool. 

He on the Cup with Vegas here just three seasons ago and is now retired. 

You know how you can tell there are a lot of Carolina fans here? During the anthem, when the singer says "red" there was a big shout of "red" here. 

of course, the "knights" part was louder, but still a good showing a "red"

8:15 p.m. ET

The teams are on the ice after another incredible pregame show featuring Mother Nature and drummers flying around over the ice.

Speaking of the drum line, I just rode up in the freight elevator with them and then held the door for them so they could get to the Fortress on time.

I feel like an honorary member of the Knights Watch.

Also, bad news for the waistline, there are plenty of peanut M&Ms in the auxiliary press box, too.

Great.

Maybe someone read my last post as they just played a song from Frank Sinatra - "Let's Face the Music and Dance" -- and they just played the song. No remix, no nothing.

You don't mess with the Chairman of the Board.

Before we get started, some good Game 6 notes from the NHLStats crew.

Teams that hold a 3-2 lead in a best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final have an all-time record of 27-18 (.600) in Game 6, which includes Stanley-Cup clinching wins in eight of the previous 10 instances.

Teams that trail 3-2 in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final with a Game 6 contest at home own an all-time record of 12-20.

Among those 12 teams, four ended up winning Game 7 on the road which includes the Bruins in 2011, Penguins in 2009, Canadiens in 1971 and the Red Wings in 1950.

Game 6 of a Stanley Cup Final has featured overtime nine times before. The team leading the series 3-2 scored the Cup-clinching overtime goal in six of those nine contests. The three teams to force a Game 7 in that scenario are Tampa Bay (3-2 2OT W at CGY in 2004), Toronto (4-3 OTW at DET in 1964) and Detroit (1-0 OTW at TOR).

Teams with 3-2 Series Lead in Game 6 of Stanley Cup Final, Since 2012

2025: Panthers (5-1 W vs. EDM)  
2024: Panthers (5-1 L at EDM)  
2022: Avalanche (2-1 W at TBL)  
2020: Lightning (2-0 W at DAL)  
2019: Blues (5-1 L vs. BOS)  
2017: Penguins (2-0 W at NSH)  
2016: Penguins (3-1 W at SJS)  
2015: Blackhawks (2-0 W vs. TBL)  
2013: Blackhawks (3-2 W at BOS)  
2012: Kings (6-1 W vs. NJD)

Teams to Win Stanley Cup After Facing 3-2 Series Deficit, All-Time

2011: Bruins (vs. VAN)  
2009: Penguins (vs. DET)  
2004: Lightning (vs. CGY)  
2001: Avalanche (vs. NJD)  
1971: Canadiens (vs. CHI)  
1964: Maple Leafs (vs. DET)  
1950 Red Wings (vs. NYR)  
1942: Maple Leafs (vs. DET)

7:57 p.m. ET

Warmups are over and we are about 20 minutes from puck drop. 

Again, Reilly Smith and Braeden Bowman are in for Vegas while William Karlsson (injury) and Keegan Kolesar (scratch) are out. 

In case you're wondering, Bowman's last game was March 21, meaning he's never played for current coach John Tortorella. 

Nothing like easing a guy back into the lineup. 

One more change. Kaedan Korczak is in for Dylan Coghlan. Torts really mixing up the defense. 

And for Carolina, it's Brandon Bussi again in goal and Pyotr Kochetkov backing him up. 

See this is why I could never be professional DJ like Steve Aoki. 

During warmups, they played "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana, "Right For Your Right" by Beastie Boys and "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, but they were mashups, mixups, club mixes, whatever you call them. Then they played a really wacky version of "I Love Rock n' Roll" by Joan Jett. 

At least they are not messing with "We Will Rock You" by Queen. Oh wait, they are. Arggg.  

And just to send me over the top, they concluded warmups with a disco version of "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC. 

I know I seem like an old man yelling at the clouds, but well, I am an old man. 

Again, just play the original song. You're not going to make it better by doing some funky mixes or adding a bass beat that would shatter windows. 

In fact, what they should have done is played "Eye of Tiger" while the video board played the training montage from "Rocky III" of Sly Stallone and Mr. T. If that wouldn't get you ready to play a huge game, nothing will. 

And this is a huge game. The Canes win and the Cup is theirs. The Golden Knights win and they go back to Raleigh. We all do.

7:45 p.m.

Warmups have started and we have our answer regarding the Vegas lineup -– it will be original Golden Misfit Reilly Smith taking William Karlsson’s spot.

That’s big for Smith, who hasn’t played since the first round.

But wait, there’s more. Apparently, looks like defenseman Braeden Bowman is in tonight in place of Keegan Kolesar.

Interesting.

One other lineup note, Pyotr Kochetkov is again the backup for Brandon Bussi. 

Though this is a Vegas home game, there are plenty of Carolina fans here tonight. In fact, a bunch of them were lining the glass during warmups.

Even before warmups started, they were chanting “Let’s Go Canes” and “We Want the Cup,”: which drew plenty of boos from the Vegas fans. This is certainly shaping up to be a wild night here.

But will it be the last game of the 2025-26 season or will that be Wednesday?

Back to Steve Aoki. Though I’m not a big DJ guy, he did a mashup/tech version a few songs of one of my new favorite bands called Banda AL9. Check it out.

As for tonight, I have a new vantage point. I’m sitting in the aux press box right next to the Fortress. I have four NHL.com writers to one side of me and three NHL.com International guys to the other side.

While I said I was sitting in aux box to be nice and allow Mike Zeisberger to stretch his long legs in the main press box, my real motive was to stay away from the bottomless bowl of peanut M&Ms they have near the main press box.

Needless to say, being on the road for two weeks has not been kind to my waistline.

7:30 p.m. ET

For the third time in this series, the Stanley Cup is in the building. It was at Lenovo Center for Cup Final Media Day on June 1 and then was on the ice before Game 1 in Raleigh on June 2.

Tonight, it will wait backstage to see if it will be handed out to the Hurricanes or stay in its case and fly back to Raleigh tomorrow for a Game 7 on Wednesday.

The previous two times the Cup had a chance to be handed out in Vegas, it was. The Washington Capitals won Game 5 back in 2018 on June 7. Exactly three years ago yesterday, on June 13, 2023, the Cup was presented to the Golden Knights after they beat the Florida Panthers in Game 5.

So, what will happen tonight? Who knows?

We do know that it was another scorching hot day in Vegas. That didn’t stop fans from partying outside with DJ Steve Aoki, who, by the way, had his tarp off on the big stage.

I can’t blame him.

I will get to him later in the blog.

The one question heading into this game from a Vegas standpoint is who will replace William Karlsson in the lineup. Karlsson was hurt in Game 5 and is out. It’s possible Reilly Smith, an original Golden Knight who made stops with the Penguins and Rangers between stints with Vegas, could play. He hasn’t played this postseason since Game 6 of the first round. Karlsson returned to the lineup for Game 1 of the second round after missing most of the season.

We don’t expect any lineup changes for the Hurricanes other than Frederik Andersen possibly being the backup to Brandon Bussi.

We will find out during warmups, which will start in a little bit.

While you wait, here is some required pregame reading for all of you (there may be a quiz). 

Here are 3 things to watch tonight according to Dan Rosen.

Here’s a good story on Jordan Staal from Nick Cotsonika.

And here Tracey Myers explains why the Golden Knights won’t panic facing elimination.

I’ll be back when warmups begin.