Who experts are predicting will win the Stanley Cup Final
For the first time in the last three years, we will see two new teams squaring off in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Vegas Golden Knights punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2023 after sweeping the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final. Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes are back in the Final for the first time in 20 years after eliminating the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final.
It feels as though this Cup Final is a coin flip. On one hand, you have a Hurricanes team that has been a serious contender for years, but has yet to get the job done with this core group. On the other side, the Golden Knights struggled throughout the vast majority of the 2025-26 season, but have looked like an entirely new team since hiring head coach John Tortorella.
Early indications from expert picks at NHL.com and ESPN reflect that fact:
- Ray Ferraro (ESPN): Hurricanes in 7
- Mark Messier (ESPN): Golden Knights in 7
- T.J. Oshie (ESPN) Hurricanes in 7
- John Buccigross (ESPN): Golden Knights in 6
- Cassie Campbell-Pascall (ESPN): Golden Knights in 6
- Sean Allen (ESPN): Hurricanes in 6
- Greg Wyshynski (ESPN): Hurricanes in 6
- Emily Kaplan (ESPN): Golden Knights in 7
- Dan Rosen (NHL.com): Golden Knights in 7
- Adam Kimelman (NHL.com): Hurricanes in 6
- Tom Gulitti (NHL.com) Hurricanes in 6
This series has all the makings to go the distance.
There are plenty of storylines heading in, including two that involve former Toronto Maple Leafs players. Mitch Marner is one of the frontrunners for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP thanks to a playoff-leading 21 points, while Frederik Andersen has turned into a brick wall after struggling throughout the regular season.
Meanwhile, Rod Brind’Amour is looking for his first Stanley Cup as a head coach, while Tortorella is looking to join Scotty Bowman, Dick Irvin, and Tommy Gorman as the only coaches in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup with two different organizations.
Stanley Cup Final schedule
The Hurricanes had 113 points to the Golden Knights’ 95, meaning the first two games of this series will take place at the Lenovo Centre in Raleigh before going to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for Games 3 and 4.
Here’s a look at how the entire schedule will play out:
- Game 1: Vegas at Carolina, 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT, Tuesday, June 2
- Game 2: Vegas at Carolina, 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT, Thursday, June 4
- Game 3: Carolina at Vegas, 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT, Saturday, June 6
- Game 4: Carolina at Vegas, 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT, Tuesday, June 9
- Game 5: Vegas at Carolina, 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT, Thursday, June 11
- Game 6: Carolina at Vegas, 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT, Sunday, June 14
- Game 7: Vegas at Carolina, 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT, Wednesday, June 17