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The Stanley Cup Final, like any best-of-seven playoff series, tends to be more of a marathon than a sprint.
That said, you won’t hear too many complaints about a fast start, and it’s hard to be faster than the Carolina Hurricanes.
Play began Wednesday night in Raleigh with the Vegas Golden Knights coming to town after clinching the Western Conference title with an impressive sweep of the Colorado Avalanche.
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Nikolaj Ehlers of the Carolina Hurricanes is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
While Vegas-Carolina isn’t exactly gold-rated by any means, it is a matchup between two incredibly good hockey teams.
NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS BETTING GUIDE: WHY THE HURRICANES ARE THE CHOICE TO BEAT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
They both have different styles that make them great, but Carolina’s secret weapons are structure and quick starts.
Well, once the puck dropped in Game 1, the feeds hadn’t even reached the starting lineups before Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers put the home team up by one on the first shot of the series.
The Canes simply couldn’t have asked for a better start.
And needless to say, it’s the worst possible start for the Golden Knights.
ANDIf that wasn’t enough, Ehlers had another one up his sleeve later in the period.
Both goals were assisted by Jalen Chatfield.
The Canes have completely swept the Eastern Conference en route to their third Cup Final appearance in franchise history.
Nikolaj Ehlers of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates with his teammates after a goal during the first period against the Vegas Golden Knights in game one of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final. (Photo by Cato Cataldo/NHLI via Getty Images)
Despite the fast start, Vegas got a big chance on a lucky rebound to cut the lead to 2-1, a goal credited to Shea Theodore.
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Carolina swept the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers in the first and second rounds, respectively. The Hurricanes then lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadiens before rallying to win the next four games and clinch the series in five.
Game two is Thursday in Raleigh, then the series will move to Las Vegas for game three on Saturday and game four the following Tuesday.
