Hurricanes Keep 2 Goalies Available for Stanley Cup Game 6 vs. Vegas

Q: Can a defensive forward make history with a record goal streak and capture an unlikely playoff MVP?

Yes. Jordan Staal is in position to do both, and that is what makes Game 6 so unusual. Staal, long defined as a shutdown center rather than a volume scorer, has already scored in each of the first five games of the Stanley Cup Final. If he scores again in Game 6 against Vegas, he would become the first player in Final history to score in the first six games of a championship series. That would be a rare offensive record for any player, let alone one whose value is usually tied to faceoffs, penalty killing, matchup work and leadership. His Conn Smythe case is unconventional but real. Staal is not leading the playoffs in points and, by modern standards, his scoring totals are modest for a forward MVP candidate. But his candidacy rests on the total impact: timely goals, heavy defensive assignments, top penalty-kill usage and his role in neutralizing elite opponents. That profile has prompted serious discussion because Carolina’s run has been built as much on structure and puck control as on star scoring. The biggest obstacle is precedent. Conn Smythe voters usually favor a top scorer or a goaltender, and Carolina also has other credible candidates, including Frederik Andersen if he returns and closes the series, or Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov if they drive the offense in a clincher. Still, if Staal extends the streak and Carolina wins the Cup, he would have a legitimate chance to become one of the most unlikely playoff MVPs of the modern era.

Q: Will a homegrown roster conquer a team built by blockbuster trades for hockey's ultimate prize?

Not exactly. Carolina is one win from the Stanley Cup, but it is not a purely homegrown team defeating a trade-built one. The Hurricanes do reflect a draft-and-develop philosophy under Rod Brind’Amour and Eric Tulsky, and that identity shows in their puck-control game, playoff-leading shot share and elite penalty kill. They also have core drafted pieces and internal development stories, and Jordan Staal’s historic scoring run has become central to this Final. But the roster is clearly mixed: among the 21 Hurricanes who have played this postseason, only six were drafted by Carolina, while seven arrived by trade and eight by free agency. Key contributors such as Nikolaj Ehlers are acquisitions, not homegrown products. Vegas more closely fits the “blockbuster trades” label. The Golden Knights have been built aggressively around imported star power, with major-name additions such as Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel emblematic of that approach. Their model has been to chase elite talent quickly rather than rely primarily on internal development. So the sharper framing is this: Carolina’s more balanced, system-driven roster is on the verge of beating Vegas’s star-acquisition model. If the Hurricanes finish the job in Game 6, it would be a win for organizational depth, structure and measured roster building, but not for a roster made mostly from within.

3 articles · Updated · NHL.com · Jun 14

Carolina said "everyone available" will be ready for Game 6 in Las Vegas, leaving its starting goaltender undecided as it tries to clinch the Stanley Cup.
Brandon Bussi has won the last 2 games and worked in the starter's crease at practice, but coach Rod Brind'Amour said Frederik Andersen is also available after missing time since leaving Game 3.
The Hurricanes plan to use the same forward lines and defensive pairings that won at home Thursday, with scratches listed as Nicolas Deslauriers, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Mike Reilly.
Jordan Staal also enters Game 6 with a chance to become the first player in Stanley Cup Final history to score in each of the first 6 games.