Top moments of season for Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup with a 3-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Carolina was 16-3 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after going 53-22-7 to finish first in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference. They were once again one of the top teams in the East to finish first in the division for the third time in five seasons. 

The Hurricanes won their first eight playoff games and exorcised their Conference Final demons against the Montreal Canadiens; this was the fourth time they got to this point since 2019, losing each time -- including last season, when they lost in five games to the eventual Cup champion Florida Panthers. 

Following their first playoff loss in Game 1 against Montreal, the Hurricanes rebounded to win the next four games to advance to the Cup Final.

Despite trailing 2-1 in the series, Carolina won the next three games to win the Stanley Cup for the second time, and first since 2006.

Here are some of the highlights for the Hurricanes on the road to the Stanley Cup Final.

BEST MOMENT: That was easily Game 6 of the Cup Final. Carolina winning it's second Stanley Cup title in its history 20 years after it won its first, and the Hurricanes did it in dominating fashion. Their defensive prowess was evident from start to finish, and if they did give anything up, Brandon Bussi was there to make the save. Nikolaj Ehlers, who started the Stanley Cup Final with a goal, ended it with another one, this one into an empty net to secure the 3-0 win. It was a dazzling performance, and the Hurricanes couldn’t have celebrated a Cup anniversary any better.

TURNING POINT: That came when Bussi came out of the locker room to start the third period of Game 3 of the Cup Final and was in the net the rest of the way for them. Bussi came into a tough situation, the Hurricanes down 4-0 after Frederik Andersen allowed those goals on 16 shots through two periods. After taking over, Bussi allowed six goals on 87 shots, including a 22-save shutout in the Cup clincher. Amazing work for the 27-year-old, who was also good in the regular season at 31-6-2 with a 2.47 goals-against average, .895 save percentage and two shutouts in 39 starts.

BEST MOVES MADE: Other than signing Ehlers in the offseason? Let’s go with coach Rod Brind’Amour’s decision in Game 2 of the conference final when he put his third line, led by captain Jordan Staal, against the Canadiens’ top line of left wing Cole Caufield, center Nick Suzuki and right wing Juraj Slafkovsky. Those three were big in Montreal’s 6-2 win in Game 1, when they faced the Hurricanes’ top line of left wing Andrei Svechnikov, center Sebastian Aho and right wing Seth Jarvis. Staal, Ehlers and right wing Jordan Martinook shut the Canadiens’ top players down en route to a 3-2 overtime win that tied the series 1-1.

BEST MOVES NOT MADE: Carolina stuck with goaltender Frederik Andersen after he allowed five goals in Game 1 of the conference final. What happened in that game was not Andersen’s fault; the Hurricanes had their worst game of the playoffs, allowing the Canadiens way too many wide-open opportunities and rush chances. Andersen was outstanding through the first two rounds and there was no need to make the switch as far as Brind’Amour was concerned. He was right.

SIGNATURE WIN (REGULAR SEASON): When Carolina faced the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 4, it had lost six of its previous eight games (2-5-1). The Hurricanes' 3-1 victory began a four-game winning streak that helped steady the ship. Forward Taylor Hall had a goal and an assist against his former team (he played for the Devils from 2016-20) and the Hurricanes were 5-for-5 on the penalty kill. The Hurricanes wouldn’t lose two straight in regulation the rest of the regular season. Not bad.

SIGNATURE WIN (PLAYOFFS): You could argue this one as being either Game 2 of the Final, when the Hurricanes came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Golden Knights 4-3 in overtime, but let’s go with Carolina's 5-3 win in Game 4 instead. In that game, the Hurricanes were up 3-1 before Vegas stormed back to tie it 3-3 entering the third period. Staal's goal was memorable for a few reasons, scoring on a backhand, falling as he did so and him celebrating while lying on his stomach on the ice. It was a gut punch, no pun intended, and the start of the best three-game winning streak for the Hurricanes this postseason. Oh, and speaking of Staal…

MVP: Yep, Staal gets our nod for the most valuable player of the playoffs for the Hurricanes. The captain has led in every way possible, from his in-room leadership to his play on the ice. He had 12 points (eight goals, four assists) in 19 Stanley Cup Playoff games, and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He was incredible in the Final, where he had seven points, including six goals. That included a goal in each of the first five games of the series. Whether at even strength, on the power play, in the face-off circle or deciding a game, Staal was involved in every big moment for the Hurricanes.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: Hall. No, this isn’t doubting his talent. He was selected No. 1 by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2010 NHL Draft for a reason. But we wouldn’t have picked him to be leading the Hurricanes through three rounds of the playoffs. Nevertheless that’s where he is, with 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 13 games. The 34-year-old had three points (one goal, two assists) for Carolina in Game 5 on Friday. He’s in the Cup Final for the first time in his career and has been a force for the Hurricanes in getting there.