The Stanley Cup Final is set. The Vegas Golden Knights are going to take on the Carolina Hurricanes for hockey’s top prize. It is a tale of two completely different teams meeting up in the big series that will determine the NHL champion for 2025-26.Â
The Carolina Hurricanes were the winners of the Metropolitan Division with a record of 53-22-7 for 113 points. They are a typical division winner that rolled its way to the Stanley Cup Final. Nobody should be surprised that they are where they are.
As for the Vegas Golden Knights, they have had a less traditional path to the final. They fired their coach, Bruce Cassidy, with eight games remaining in the regular season. They replaced him with John Tortorella, and they have been on a run of success ever since.
The funny thing about the Golden Knights is the fact that the New Jersey Devils (42) had more wins than the Vegas Golden Knights (39) this season. Due to the lackluster play of the Pacific Division, the mid to lower tier of the Western Conference, and the points system, their struggles before Tortorella arrived didn't keep them out of the playoffs.
The New Jersey Devils lead the Vegas Golden Knights in one very important statistics
Despite having just 39 wins, fewer than their division rival, the Edmonton Oilers (41) and the Anaheim Ducks (43), they found a way to win the division. Even the San Jose Sharks matched Vegas in wins. Still, they got hot at the right time and are now playing for the Cup as a result.
After missing the playoffs, New Jersey made big changes to their front office. Now, they must balance making moves to make sure they don't miss again and not overreact. There is proof in the standings context that they are a good team that may have had some bad luck. They certainly had problems that must be addressed, but it may not be more complicated than their depth.
Does it sting that the Devils had three more wins than a team that may win the Cup? It does. That should be great motivation for the team's management, the coaches, and the players to make sure that they are much better in 2026-27. This is an unforgiving league; you can only play those who are on your schedule, and you are in the division that you're in. There is nothing you can do except attempt to be better.
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