Stanley Cup Final series prediction: Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes NHL odds, best bet

Taylor Hall #71 of the Carolina Hurricanes warms up before Game Two of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center on May 23, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. NHLI via Getty Images

Stanley Cup Final series prediction: Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes NHL odds, best bet. The years of trial and error for Rod Brind’Amour and his Hurricanes have finally paid off — Carolina will play in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since he raised the Cup as captain in 2006. After three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals in the last seven seasons, the Hurricanes’ patented brand of tight forechecking and man-on-man defense not only cleared the hump, it has been merely invincible. They’ve lost one game in three rounds, becoming the first team to do so since the 1983 Edmonton Oilers. That loss came after sweeping Ottawa and Montreal and waiting 11 days before facing Montreal, the longest layoff between series in over 100 years. The Hurricanes then woke up to outscore the Canadiens 17-5 in their last three games. In prior playof...