Golden Knights most to blame for Stanley Cup Final loss to Hurricanes

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Golden Knights most to blame for Stanley Cup Final loss to Hurricanes

Bryan Logan, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Mon, Jun 15, 2026 ·

5 min read

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The Vegas Golden Knights could not find the back of the net on Sunday night, losing Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final 3-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes . With the victory, the Hurricanes won their second Stanley Cup in franchise history .

The Golden Knights were looking for their second Cup victory in franchise history as well, and started in a solid position to do so. The Golden Knights took the series lead in Game 1, winning 5-4 on the road. After a loss in Game 2, Vegas took the lead once again with another 5-4 victory in Game 3. From there, the Golden Knights could not slow down the Hurricanes. In the final three games, they gave up 12 goals, while finding the back of the net just five times.

There were multiple turning points in the series, including nearly losing a four-goal lead and surviving in double overtime, to players such as William Karlsson being injured. As the series has come to an end, there are three specific player performances that need to be analyzed.

Carter Hart falters in the Final

Carter Hart was not the starting netminder for much of the season. After the off-ice controversy, where he was charged with sexual assault, Hart was without a team. The netminder was ultimately acquitted of charges and eligible to sign a contract with a team. He did just that, signing a professional tryout agreement with the Golden Knights, and made his debut with the team in December. He would be injured in January and not make another start for the team until after John Tortorella was hired by the team.

Hart finished the season strong, going 6-0 in his final six starts with a 1.66 goals against average and a .930 save percentage. The quality play continued into the playoffs, including allowing just seven goals in a four-game sweep of the Colorado Avalanche . Heading into the Stanley Cup Final, he has a save percetnage of .925 or better in 12 of the 16 previous games. He would have just one game better than .900 against the Hurricanes.

In his first five games, Hart set dubious Stanley Cup history, allowing four goals in each of the first five games. In the first four games of the series, his best performance was in Game 3. He stopped 29 of 33 shots in that game, giving him a .879 save percetnage. Still, he fell apart in the third period, allowing all four goals in the third, and nearly costing the team a 4-0 lead. Hart was solid in Game 6, giving up just two goals on 22 shots, but it was not enough to the Knights to get the victory.

Mitch Marner disappeared after his hat trick

Mitch Marner finished Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final as the likely future winner of the Conn Smythe . Marner went off in Game 3, 10:26 into the second period. He assisted Tomas Hertl on a power play goal. Then, 16 seconds later, he scored his first goal of the game. By the 16:52 mark of the period, he has scored three goals in the period. By the end of the game, Marner had amassed three goals and four assists in the first three games of the series. He also had found the back of the net 10 times while adding 18 helpers in the playoffs.

After that game, Marner disappeared, as pointed out by Drew Livingston of SDPN Sports.

" Mitch Marner 0G | 1A | -5 over the final 3 games of the Stanley Cup Final. All losses. Just folded in crunch time," Livingston posted on X, formerly Twitter.

In Game 4, he had an assist but had a minus-one plus/minus rating while not having a shot on goal in 23:58 of ice time. He did not register a point in Game 5, while having a minus-one rating, and registering just one shot in 21:38 of ice time. He finally got shots off in Game 6, but all three shots were saved. Further, he was on the ice for all three of the goals scored by the Hurricanes. As the pressure grew, Marner shrank.

Jack Eichel missed major opportunities

Jack Eichel has always been great at dishing the puck. In his last two years, his ability to pass has exploded, with 129 assists over two seasons. When Eichel won the Cup in 2023, he did not score in the series, but had eight helpers, including three in Game 5, the deciding game of the series. He has assists in Games 1 and 3 of this series, both resulting in wins for the Golden Knights. Still, when his team needed him most. and needed him to find the back of the net, but he did not come through.

In Game 4, Eichel had not yet made an impact. Brett Howden tied the game in the second period, but Jordan Stall gave the Canes the lead in the third. Then, opprotunity struck for Eichel. He had a clear chance at the net with a chance to tie the game, but Eichel missed the shot high . That could have forced overtime, and possibly changed the series.

In Game 6, he had a chance again to get his team back into the game. On the power play midway through the third period, he had a perfect chance to make it a one-goal game. Eichel hit the crossbar, and Vegas would not have a chance to tie the game. While Eichel was still the second-highest scoring player on the Golden Knights, his failure in the biggest moments of the series will be what is remembered.

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