Staal Leads Carolina Hurricanes Hockey Game to 3-0 Game 6 Cup Win
Jordan Staal lifted the Carolina Hurricanes Hockey Game into a 3-0 Game 6 shutout over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, and Carolina took its second Stanley Cup. The win ended the 2026 Stanley Cup Final in six games and gave the Hurricanes a championship-clinching blanking in the last game of the series.
Staal and the Carolina finish
“To do it with this group of guys... there's not enough words to describe how good it feels.” Staal said that after the final horn, then received the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP and became the first to lift the Stanley Cup.
Taylor Hall put Carolina ahead early in the first period after a Jaccob Slavin zone-entry denial and a stretch pass. Jackson Blake followed in the middle frame with a one-timer from the slot to make it 2-0, and Nikolaj Ehlers added the empty-net goal in the closing minutes.
Brandon Bussi stops Vegas
Brandon Bussi made 22 saves for the shutout, his third straight win. Vegas never solved him, and the Golden Knights left Game 6 without a goal while Carolina kept the series finish clean from the opening period through the empty-net dagger.
Rod Brind'Amour called Staal’s Conn Smythe night “an unbelievable ending to a great story,” and praised his leadership. Staal said he had learned a lot about perseverance and trusting God during the 17 years between Stanley Cup championships, while Logan Stankoven pointed to the team’s offseason work and culture as part of the climb to the title.
Staal also said he believed in the organization and its people, including Rod Brind'Amour and Tom, as Carolina built toward the championship. For the Hurricanes, the Cup came with one final shutout, one playoff MVP, and one more lift from the captain who had spent 17 years waiting for this finish.
