Hurricanes and Golden Knights set for historic Stanley Cup Final opener in Raleigh

The 2026 Stanley Cup Final commences on Monday night in Raleigh, North Carolina, as the Carolina Hurricanes host the Vegas Golden Knights for Game 1. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, with coverage broadcast on ABC. The series follows a standard home-ice advantage format, with Carolina hosting Games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while Vegas hosts Games 3, 4, and 6.

The Hurricanes enter the series as -152 money-line favourites and are the first team since 1987 to reach the Final with one or fewer losses. This marks the first postseason meeting between the two franchises and the first meeting of division champions since 2018. Both teams are seeking their second championship; Carolina won in 2006 and Vegas in 2023.

Historical trends heavily favour the home side in this matchup. Home teams have won 75.6 per cent of Stanley Cup Finals all-time, and teams taking Game 1 at home are 52-11 in Final history. Excluding the 2020 bubble setup, the home team has not lost Game 1 of a Final since 2015.

Carolina’s defensive structure has been formidable, allowing only 1.62 goals per game in the playoffs, the seventh-fewest in a postseason in league history with a minimum of 10 games played. Goalie Frederik Andersen is the +220 second favourite for the Conn Smythe Trophy, having recorded a 1.41 goals-against average. The Hurricanes have also been effective on special teams, killing off 92.5 per cent of penalties.

Vegas enters with 13 players possessing Stanley Cup Final experience, compared to only two for Carolina: Jordan Staal and William Carrier. Staal, who last won the Cup in 2009, could set the NHL record for the longest time between Stanley Cup championships as a player, surpassing Chris Chelios’s 16-year gap. The Golden Knights are seeking to become only the fourth team to win at least two Cups in their first nine seasons in the expansion era.

Mitchell Marner leads the postseason with 21 points and is the +165 favourite for the Conn Smythe Trophy. Jack Eichel is second in the league with 18 playoff points. Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden each have 10 goals in the playoffs for Vegas, while Logan Stankoven leads the Hurricanes with nine goals. The Over/Under for total games is set at 5.5, with the Over at -185.