Tortorella's Vegas Knights Just Swept the Champs, and Nobody in Hockey Is Ready For His Stanley Cup Final

Holy smokes, hockey fans, it’s happening! The Vegas Golden Knights have already punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final, and honestly, the Emerald City is buzzing about what kind of chaos that’s gonna bring. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before the Carolina Hurricanes join them, setting up a championship showdown that’s gonna be must-watch TV. We’re just here, watching from our favorite spots in Seattle, wishing our boys were on that ice, but ready for the drama nonetheless!

Vegas: The League's Villain Squad Is Back on Top

Let’s talk about the Golden Knights first, because wow. These guys just bulldozed the Colorado Avalanche, sweeping the league’s regular-season champions in the Western Conference finals. Nobody, and I mean nobody, saw that coming! You might not love the Golden Knights, with Coach John Tortorella and his churlish ways, their cut-throat business decisions, or even those past examples of them kinda flouting the rules. But you know what? It’s worked again in Las Vegas.

The biggest shocker? They replaced Bruce Cassidy with Tortorella just a couple of weeks before the regular season ended, and it was a shockingly brilliant move. Torts didn’t even change the system, but suddenly, all those under-achieving players found their footing. They won the “Pillow Fight Pacific Division” and have been an absolute freight train ever since, marching right to the final. Their improved goaltending has been a huge boost, and Mitch Marner’s play has been lights out. Just like Carolina, Vegas has gotten better with every single series. These guys are proud to be the bad boys, the team everyone cheers against, and honestly, that’s gonna make for an electric Final.

Carolina Is One Win From History, and Montreal’s Numbers Are Brutal

Over in the Eastern Conference, the Carolina Hurricanes are on the verge of making history, just one win away from advancing to the championship round for the first time in two decades! They’re up 3-1 on the Montreal Canadiens in the best-of-seven series, and while Montreal might try to prolong things with a Game 5 victory in Raleigh, N.C., betting against Carolina feels like a fool’s errand. After a 6-2 dud in Game 1, the Hurricanes just hit another gear and have been the overwhelmingly better team.

Seriously, get this: the Canadiens have only managed 43 shots on goal over the past three games combined. Guess how many shots Carolina fired in their 4-0 win on Wednesday? Yep, exactly 43! Montreal’s taken a big step forward this season, which is cool, but the Hurricanes, who were the Eastern Conference’s regular-season champs, have shown that young Montreal squad they’ve got a few more leaps to make before they’re legitimate Cup contenders. Carolina has been getting better every series too, just like Vegas.

Colorado's Window Is Slamming Shut, Fast

Speaking of the Avalanche, what a post-mortem to that season. No one should be calling for Coach Jared Bednar’s head, because injuries, especially to Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon, were absolutely fatal for them. That said, Colorado is in a precarious spot. They’ll still be contenders, no doubt, but that window for this core group’s second Stanley Cup title is closing fast. Aside from Makar and Martin Necas, all their key players are past 30. Their goaltending faltered when they needed it most, and roster holes are gonna be harder to fill because they mortgaged their future, trading away their next three first-round picks trying to duplicate that 2022 championship. That’s a tough pill to swallow.

So, get ready Seattle! The Hurricanes are playing Game 5 tonight, May 28, 2026, and if they seal the deal, we’re looking at a Carolina-Vegas Stanley Cup Final. It’s not going to be some “sexy” marketing dream matchup, but anyone saying that is missing the boat. This is going to be gritty, intense, and a battle between two teams that absolutely earned their way here. Pull up a chair, grab a cold one, and let’s watch this thing unfold!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.