The Carolina Hurricanes are on the precipice of finishing the job. They sit one win away from claiming the Stanley Cup, but they haven't done it yet. As I've said numerous times, the fourth win in any series is the toughest to get, and that's especially true when you're trying to get your 16th of the postseason. In a hostile environment, they must be ready to go from the drop of the puck.
Game 5: Vegas opened it on the power play, with Pavel Dorofeyev finding the back of the net. Jordan Staal responded with a superb tip to extend his streak. In the second, Andrei Svechnikov scored on the power play, and Sebastian Aho roofed one, giving the Canes a 3-1 lead. Svechnikov added another on the power play, and Dorofeyev made it 4-2, but the Canes held on to take the series lead.
On the Other Side: Vegas Golden Knights
In front of their home crowd, the Golden Knights are playing for their season. The Canes have, seemingly, found a way to stifle some of their creativity in the offensive and neutral zones over the last four periods, putting them behind in the series for the first time. They'll need to rely on their stars to get them going tonight because there's no tomorrow if they don't get it done tonight.
Vegas will have to contend without an original Misfit, William Karlsson, in the lineup for the contest. He exited Game 5 in the second period with an arm injury, and John Tortorella made it seem that Karlsson is likely done for the season. He's not an easy player to replace, and he'd been solid in the series, so this is a crucial loss for the Golden Knights in a must-win contest.
What to Watch in Game 6
Winning the battle in the net: It's no secret that a big reason for the Canes' turnaround in this series has been the play of Brandon Bussi. Since taking over for Frederik Andersen to start the third period of Game 3, Bussi has been excellent, nearly getting them the win in double overtime before two strong starts to shoot the Canes ahead in the series.
On the other end, Carter Hart is making unfortunate history. After allowing four goals in Game 4, he became the first to allow four or more goals in the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final. Hart did the same in Game 5, adding to his dubious honor. Vegas doesn't appear to be moving away from him in this series, so it'll be on Hart to right the ship.
Finish it the right way: The Golden Knights aren't going to roll over and allow the Hurricanes to win the Stanley Cup in their barn. With their season on the line after two days between games, Vegas will be locked and loaded to give the Canes their greatest fight yet. It'll be on Carolina to respond to their pressure and stick to what won them Games 4 and 5.
One of the most notable areas of improvement for the Hurricanes in Game 5 was their effort in the second period. For the first time in the series, they were the better team during the middle frame, outscoring Vegas 2-0 to, essentially, win the game. The Canes must get it going early and keep it going for 60 full minutes. The last thing we want to think about is Game 7 in Raleigh.
