LAS VEGAS -- Twenty years later, the Carolina Hurricanes are Stanley Cup champions again.
Brandon Bussi stopped all 22 shots he faced, and the Hurricanes set off a Stanley Cup celebration with a heavy presence of their fans who made the trip here, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday.
Jackson Blake had a goal and an assist, and Taylor Hall and Nikolaj Ehlers also scored for Carolina, which finished the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 16-3 record.
Rod Brind'Amour was the captain of the 2006 Stanley Cup championship team, and has been Carolina's coach since 2018-19. He's the seventh person in NHL history to win the Cup with the same franchise as a player and a coach, and fourth to do it as captain and coach.
Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal won the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He had 12 points (eight goals, four assists) in the playoffs, including six goals in the Final.
“It’s amazing,” Staal said. “What a battle, what a feeling. So many individual efforts to keep the puck out of the net. I’m so proud of these guys.”
Carter Hart made 20 saves, but the Golden Knights lost their third straight game to end the season. They had a 2-1 lead in the series, but Carolina outscored them (12-5) in Games 4-6.
Hall put the Hurricanes ahead 1-0 at 3:47 of the first period, scoring with a far-side shot from the left face-off circle that he got off before Noah Hanifin could close on him. The shot went under Hart's left arm and over his left pad.
Blake forced a turnover by Brett Howden at the Carolina blue line. The puck went to Jaccob Slavin, who looked up and saw Hall behind the Vegas defense. The stretch pass connected and Hall did the rest.
Bussi kept it 1-0 by stopping Howden on a breakaway at 11:39 of the first period. Hart did the same at 2:49 of the second, when he made a blocker save on Staal after the Carolina captain got in alone.
The Hurricanes went up 2-0 at 13:31 of the second, when Blake scored on a one-timer from just inside the right circle off a pass from Logan Stankoven.
Jack Eichel rang a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle off the crossbar late on a power play with 9:30 remaining in the third period. Bussi had no stick at the time.
Vegas pulled Hart for the extra skater with three minutes remaining. Bussi made three consecutive saves, including one on Tomas Hertl off a rebound as he was sitting in the crease.
Ehlers scored into the empty net at 18:52 for the 3-0 final.
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