3 Takeaways From Golden Knights’ 3-0 Season-Ending Loss

The Vegas Golden Knights saw their championship hopes fade away in a 3-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6, losing the Stanley Cup Final 4-2.

Carter Hart stopped 20 of 22 shots while the offense was shut out for the first time this postseason, and only the fifth time all season. For the Hurricanes, Taylor Hall, Jackson Blake, and Nikolaj Ehlers scored, while Brandon Bussi made 22 saves.

Well, Vegas fans, it’s been a wild ride, and there will be a lot of time to get into the roller coaster that was the 2025-26 season. For now, let’s get into what felt like an anticlimactic end to an insanely dramatic spring for the Golden Knights.

Game 3 Comes Back to Haunt Golden Knights

In some ways, and this is just my opinion, but looking back at how Games 4, 5, and 6 played out, it seems like Vegas’ 5-4 double-overtime win in Game 3 took a toll that they just couldn’t pay and overcome. To go back, the Golden Knights were up 4-0 before the Hurricanes stormed back and forced an extra 25:38 of intense hockey that never should have happened.

In the first overtime period, the Hurricanes were the better team by a mile, and the Golden Knights found a way to grind through it, extend the game, and win it early in the second overtime. Then, in Game 4, the Hurricanes were up 2-0 less than five minutes in, and while the Golden Knights did come back from a 3-1 deficit to tie it 3-3, they were outlasted by Carolina in a 5-3 loss. Lastly, Pavel Dorofeyev opened the scoring in Game 5 to give Vegas their only lead since winning Game 3. It didn’t last long, as Jordan Staal scored five minutes later to tie the game, and the Hurricanes never looked back.

Now, for Game 6. Heading into Sunday night’s must-win affair, it really felt like Vegas had to score first. The Hurricanes had all of the momentum, and being up 3-2 in the series, you knew that if they got the lead, it would be really hard for the Golden Knights to get it back. Well, that’s exactly how it played out.

Plain and simple, Vegas ran out of gas. Yes, the Hurricanes found a way to nullify the offense of the Golden Knights and break through their defense. Yes, Bussi’s injection into the series could have very well changed Carolina’s fate. But, again, in my opinion, Vegas just didn’t have the juice to battle through any of it.

Karlsson’s Injury Proves Fatal to Vegas’ Depth

It’s hard to think that one player’s absence or presence would result in a team either winning or losing, but it’s reasonable to take that approach when thinking about the injury to William Karlsson. While the Golden Knights were able to score against the Utah Mammoth in the first round, Karlsson entered the lineup healthy in Round 2 and instantly ignited a chemistry with Brett Howden and Mitch Marner that turned this team into a deep, high-powered offense.

Howden is technically a natural center, but it was clear that he was out of place in Game 6, centering a line with Ivan Barbashev and Marner. If he had more time, maybe it would have worked out, but as it turns out, he didn’t, and it didn’t.

The Hurricanes already give you no margin for error, and removing Karlsson made that even more the case. What we saw after his injury was a team whose depth just could not produce at the level they needed. In Games 4 and 5, Dorofeyev, Karlsson, Shea Theodore, and Jack Eichel all had two points, while Dorofeyev and Karlsson had three goals combined. Mark Stone and Brett Howden were the only other goal scorers, while only five other players had points.

Vegas’ star players showed up all playoffs long, but it was their depth that helped make them virtually unstoppable through three rounds and three games. I do think that the Hurricanes found a way to neutralize everything that the Golden Knights had to throw at them. But I also think that Karlsson’s addition to the lineup in Round 2 was just as impactful as his exit in the Final, and it would have been a different series if he could have stayed healthy.

Final Thoughts on the Stanley Cup Final

This might be a defeatist mindset; I don’t know. Ultimately, I think it was just Carolina’s time. The Hurricanes have been building towards this moment for eight years, and they finally broke through and won the ultimate prize. There are, however, two “what if” questions that are burned into my brain.

The first is: should the Golden Knights have pivoted off of Hart?

I completely understand the thinking in keeping Hart in the net as the series progressed. He was phenomenal all postseason long, but whether it was the defense’s fault, Hart’s fault, or both, the Hurricanes figured him out, and Vegas never adapted. Hall’s opening goal was a shot from the left circle that snuck under the glove and over the pad of Hart, and if he was on, that goal would have been stopped 10 times out of 10.

Now, Adin Hill not only had a brutal season, but he also hadn’t played since April 9. Would he have made a difference? I don’t know. But what I do know is that in today’s NHL, every netminder in the playoffs usually needs a night or two off. I’m not saying that Hart should have been sat for the remainder of the series, but maybe a break heading into Game 5 would have helped both Hart and his teammates reset a little bit.

My second “what if” question is: Would the series have gone differently if the Golden Knights had held the 4-0 lead in Game 3?

I already said that I think it changed the complexion of the series in favor of the Hurricanes. But why? The Hurricanes were probably always the better team, but up until that third-period comeback, the Golden Knights had them chasing the series. It seemed like Vegas had just a little something-something that Carolina didn’t. In that ridiculous period, the Hurricanes unlocked something and never looked back.

I also think, as I alluded to earlier, the margins in this series were incredibly thin, and every ounce of health and energy was crucial. The Golden Knights played an extra 25 minutes of hockey that they didn’t need to, and even though Carolina didn’t win Game 3, they clearly gained momentum and insight from that comeback.

Another Season in the Books

All in all, what a wild ride for the Golden Knights. From the preseason hope of a Stanley Cup victory, to a largely inconsistent and underperforming regular season, to a run to the Final that was impressive, epic, dramatic, and everything in between.

This season is one that the Golden Knights should be proud of, regardless of how it ended. It’s going to be a busy and challenging offseason, no doubt. But with the core that this team has, there’s no reason why they won’t be back here in the near future.