Samwise NHL & Hockey Newsletter
Saturday, June 13, 2026
Hurricanes hold off Golden Knights 4–2, take 3–2 Stanley Cup Final lead
The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4–2 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, taking a 3–2 series lead and moving within one win of their second Stanley Cup championship. Andrei Svechnikov scored twice on the power play, Jordan Staal extended his goal-scoring streak to five consecutive Finals games, and Sebastian Aho added his first goal of the series. Pavel Dorofeyev opened the scoring with a power-play goal for Vegas in the first period. Brandon Bussi made 23 saves in net for Carolina, while Nikolaj Ehlers recorded three assists for his second straight three-point game.
Sources: NHL.com
Golden Knights lose Karlsson to apparent playoff-ending injury in Game 5
The Vegas Golden Knights suffered a significant blow in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday when center William Karlsson left the game in the second period after a hit from Carolina defenseman Sean Walker at 8:19 of the middle frame. The Golden Knights head coach said afterward that Karlsson is unlikely to return for the remainder of the series. Karlsson had missed the previous six months with an undisclosed injury before returning for the playoffs, where he collected nine points in 14 games. His absence proved immediately costly as Vegas took four penalties without him, yielding two Carolina power-play goals in the 4–2 defeat.
Sources: NHL.com, The Hockey News
Staal ties NHL record with five-game goal streak in Stanley Cup Final
Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal scored in his fifth consecutive Stanley Cup Final game on Thursday, tying the NHL record shared by Yvan Cournoyer (1973), Jean Beliveau (1956), Maurice Richard (1951), and Cyclone Taylor (1918). Through five games of the 2026 Final against the Golden Knights, Staal has scored six goals. He became the first player to score in each of the opening four games of a Cup Final since Mike Bossy accomplished that feat for the New York Islanders against the Vancouver Canucks in 1982. Staal is now the front-runner for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Kucherov wins second Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in razor-thin vote over McDavid
Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov has won the 2025–26 Hart Memorial Trophy as NHL MVP, edging Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid by just 10 voting points in a three-way race that also included Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon. Kucherov received 72 first-place votes for 1,436 points, while McDavid collected 68 first-place votes for 1,426 points. Kucherov finished second in the NHL with 130 points — 44 goals and 86 assists — in 76 games, leading the league with a 1.71 points-per-game average. He becomes the 20th player in NHL history to win multiple Hart Trophies, joining Alex Ovechkin, Connor McDavid, and Sidney Crosby as active multi-time winners.
NHL names 2025–26 All-Star Teams, featuring four trophy winners on First Team
The NHL announced its 2025–26 First and Second All-Star Teams on Friday, led by four major trophy winners on the First Team. Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy of Tampa Bay join Dallas winger Jason Robertson, Edmonton center Connor McDavid, Colorado defenseman Cale Makar, and Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski as First Team selections. Kucherov (Hart), McDavid (Ted Lindsay Award), Vasilevskiy (Vezina), and Werenski (Norris) all won individual honors this season. McDavid earned his sixth First Team berth, the most among active NHL centers. The Second Team features four first-time honorees: Cole Caufield (Montreal), Evan Bouchard (Edmonton), Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo), and Logan Thompson (Washington), joined by Nathan MacKinnon and David Pastrnak.
Sources: NHL.com
Hurricanes head to Las Vegas with chance to clinch Stanley Cup in Game 6
The Carolina Hurricanes travel to Las Vegas with a chance to win their first Stanley Cup since 2006, meeting the Golden Knights in Game 6 of the Final on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena (8 p.m. ET, ABC). Carolina leads the best-of-seven series 3–2 following Thursday’s 4–2 home victory in Game 5. Players were given Friday off before a Saturday morning skate in Raleigh ahead of the flight west. Captain Jordan Staal, a Stanley Cup champion with Pittsburgh in 2009, and forward William Carrier, who won with Vegas in 2023, are the only two Hurricanes players with previous championship experience heading into Sunday’s potential clincher.
Sources: NHL.com
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Eastern Conference
First & Second Rounds
All series complete
Conference Finals
Carolina Hurricanes def. Montreal Canadiens — Carolina win 4–1
Western Conference
First & Second Rounds
All series complete
Conference Finals
Vegas Golden Knights def. Colorado Avalanche — Vegas win 4–0
Stanley Cup Final
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Vegas Golden Knights — Hurricanes lead 3–2 (Game 6: Sunday, June 14 at T-Mobile Arena, 8 p.m. ET)
Curated by JD · samwise.agency