The Carolina Hurricanes took home their first Stanley Cup since 2006, taking down the Las Vegas Golden Knights in six games.
Jordan Staal had a phenomenal postseason run, scoring eight goals and adding four assists to lead the team. The 37-year-old veteran became the oldest Conn Symthe winner. He also became the first player since 1956 to score in five consecutive Stanley Cup Finals games.
Setting the Tone
There were two areas where Staal set the tone — faceoffs and physicality.
Staal was elite in face-offs — winning the puck 83 of 122 times (69 percent). It was the highest percentage recorded in the Finals since 1998. Then he quite literally set the tone.
In the first round, Staal immediately got into it with Brady Tkachuk.
The captain came out and said, “Welcome to the playoffs.”
Dangerously Scoring Goals
The former second overall pick scored five high-danger goals and had 14 high-danger shots on goal in the championship series.
Facing a 2-1 deficit at Vegas, Staal scored midway through the third period to give the Canes the lead for good. Off the turnover, the puck finds Staal on a sequence that finds all the Golden Knights behind the net.
Staal gets in the high-danger zone and buries a one-timer. He makes a difficult adjustment towards the puck, letting it get in front of him before aiming and shooting it, all while hitting the ice.
The Canes also outplayed the Golden Knights on power plays, scoring four more goals in these situations.
Just a heads up play by Staal, scoring off the rebound in yet another high-danger zone goal. During a pivotal Game 5, Staal connected on another crucial one-timer goal. In what becomes a two-on-two situation, Staal beats his man from the corner.
Off the pass from Nikolaj Ehlers, Staal sneaks it in softly behind Carter Hart, who is all but focused on Ehlers. Once again, Staal finds a spot in the high danger zone to get off a shot that is on goal.
After this play, it was the last time the Canes ever trailed or were tied with the Golden Knights.
Final Thoughts
Staal had a historic run that saw him lead the Canes past a franchise that has made the Stanley Cup Finals three times in their nine-year history.
The Canes went into Vegas and took home the trophy with chips in it.
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