Updated 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Bracket, Schedule After Hurricanes Eliminate Canadiens

The Carolina Hurricanes will represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006.

Carolina completed its 4-1 Eastern Conference Finals win over the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night with a 6-1 home win.

Carolina will square off with the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, a series that begins on Tuesday in Raleigh.

Rod Brind'Amour's Hurricanes are the first squad from outside Florida to represent the East in a non-COVID year since 2019. The Tampa Bay Lightning or Florida Panthers featured in the Cup Final in each of the last six years.

Stanley Cup Final Odds

Carolina Hurricanes, -162

Vegas Golden Knights, +134

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Updated NHL Playoff Schedule

Stanley Cup Final

Game 1: Tuesday, June 2 at Carolina (8 p.m. ET, ABC)

Game 2: Thursday, June 4 at Carolina (8 p.m. ET, ABC)

Game 3: Saturday, June 6 at Vegas (8 p.m. ET, ABC)

Game 4: Tuesday, June 9 at Vegas (8 p.m. ET, ABC)

Game 5 (if necessary): Thursday, June 11 at Carolina (8 p.m. ET, ABC)

Game 6 (if necessary): Sunday, June 14 at Vegas (8 p.m. ET, ABC)

Game 7 (if necessary): Wednesday, June 17 (8 p.m. ET, ABC)

Carolina and Vegas are matched up for the first time in the Stanley Cup Final.

Both franchises previously reached the championship series on two occasions. Carolina lost in 2002 and won in 2006. Vegas lost in 2018 and won in 2023.

The Hurricanes and Golden Knights haven't seen each other on the ice since October.

Vegas won both of the regular-season meetings, but it's hard to find anything from those games that will affect the Stanley Cup Final matchup because they occurred so early in the season.

Carolina's style of play hasn't changed much, but the top contributors have changed a bit. The Logan Stankoven-Jackson Blake-Taylor Hall line has been arguably the best line in hockey since mid-April. They all have over 10 postseason points and all had multi-point performances in Friday's close-out game.

The Golden Knights' current form can be traced back to John Tortorella's hiring on March 29.

Vegas improved its all-around game and received terrific goaltending from Carter Hart during that period of time.

The Golden Knights had the better conference finals win over the Presidents' Trophy winner Colorado Avalanche.

You can argue that Carolina's ECF win over Montreal was as dominant as Vegas' triumph over Colorado, though.

The Hurricanes and Golden Knights are both playing their best hockey at the moment, so we should be in for an extended series of incredible hockey to close out the NHL season.