Although the Habs did not advance to the fourth series, the Stanley Cup Final is an exciting time for hockey fans. The HabsWorld writers are back to provide their predictions on the upcoming series between Carolina and Vegas.
Kevin Leveille predicts: Hurricanes in 5 games
Brian Davis predicts: Hurricanes in 6 games
Norm Szcyrek predicts: Hurricanes in 5 games
Brian La Rose predicts: Hurricanes in 6 games
(Kevin) At the onset of the playoffs, if I would have been asked what would be the most boring outcome for these playoffs, my answer likely would have been Carolina versus Vegas. So you’ll have to excuse me if I’m not very excited about this result. Vegas has been three times in its nine-year history and is doing so this season on the back of a goaltender mired in controversy who really should not even be allowed to play until October (for those who believe he should ever be reinstated – but that’s a whole other topic).
They face a Carolina team that plays a system which seeks to stifle its opposition with a neutral zone trap that relies on obstruction in said neutral zone. Remember when the NHL was going to crack down on obstruction to end the dead puck era? Good times. As for the series, Vegas holds an advantage in the crease as Frederik Andersen looked shaky throughout their series with the Habs, with maybe Game 5 being a bit of the exception. Both teams have really excellent blue lines and pretty solid depth forwards. Vegas likely has the edge in top-end forwards as Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner have really shown up for these playoffs. As much as I giggle at the thought of Marner winning the playoff MVP the year after he’s run out of Toronto for not being the guy in the playoffs, I think I like the idea of the Habs being the only team to get a win on Carolina, so I’d love to see a Carolina sweep. I might have to settle with the Habs getting 50% of the wins versus Carolina and opt for Hurricanes in 5.
(Brian D) This Stanley Cup Final is going to be a bruising, heavy, trench‑warfare series — probably not one for the purists. It’s going to be a battle of the forecheck, with more cycling than a Dutch holiday. Both teams arrive playing a similar style to what they showed in the Conference Finals, neither willing to give an inch, and both equally rested. Expect collisions, chaos, and very little free ice.
The Golden Knights, under John Tortorella, have shifted to a far more north–south identity: aggressive on the counter, ruthless on the forecheck, and determined to clog the neutral zone. Despite having some highly skilled forwards, they’ve stripped things back to basics to win hockey games. At the centre of it all is Marner — and as much as I wanted to loathe him as a long‑time Leaf, the nonsense he took on the way out of that laughable organization makes me root for him a little more. Beyond being a brilliant playmaker, he’s become a genuinely elite defensive forward and is thriving in this system.
Carolina, meanwhile, boasts the best centre depth in the entire postseason. Montreal never caught their breath because there was simply no such thing as an easy shift — every line caused mayhem. For me, the key remains Jordan Staal, who has to be one of the best third‑line centres of the last two decades. The fact you can confidently throw him out against Vegas’ top line gives the Hurricanes a real matchup advantage, especially in the first two games. Add in the scoring punch of the top six and the sheer intensity of the fourth line, and Carolina looks incredibly well‑balanced.
My prediction — partly from watching them dismantle the Habs and partly from cold reality — is Carolina in six. They’re the most balanced team in the playoffs, they’re well rested, and they’ve finally shaken off the ECF monkey. Unless Marner, Eichel, and Mark Stone put together an absolutely monstrous series, I think the relentless Carolina cycle will eventually grind Vegas down.
One final prediction: expect a ton of verbals between Torts and Rod Brind’Amour at some point. Before he inevitably turns on his own players, Tortorella will almost certainly launch a barrage of abuse over the plexiglass. Brind’Amour seems unflappable — and he’s got that 2006 Cup win in his back pocket — but this feels like Tortorella’s last hurrah (unless he ends up in Toronto), and he’ll do absolutely anything to win.
(Norm) It’s been a great turnaround for Vegas since Tortorella took over late in the regular season, after the team had been struggling to win. He has not been to the Final since 2004 when he led Tampa Bay to their first title. The players have responded to Tortorella, a notoriously gruff coach. Marner leads the NHL with 21 points this postseason, followed closely by Jack Eichel with 18 points. Forwards Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden have been big contributors in the postseason, chipping in 10 goals each.
Carolina has finally gotten over the hump of the Conference Final, by bumping off Montreal. Up front, Taylor Hall leads their squad with 16 points in the playoffs, followed by linemate Jackson Blake with 15. Logan Stankoven contributed nine goals to round out their second line. Their top line of Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, and Andrei Svechnikov finally woke up in the third round and started contributing some points. Their four lines all play a relentless style of high-pressure forechecking that has produced mistakes from the opposition and led to scoring opportunities. Their power play is excellent and their penalty killing is even better. I cannot see Vegas succeeding against them in the Final.
(Brian) While Vegas dispatched Colorado in four which is quite impressive, they weren’t always the better team in those games. It keeps with the trend of their first two rounds where they played well at times and had clunkers in others. Carolina, on the other hand, has been much more consistent. They had one clunker against the Habs to start the third round but once they got their skating legs, they took over from there, just as they did in the first two rounds. The Golden Knights should be tougher, but it feels like this is the Hurricanes’ time.