The Jordan Staal Conn Smythe win was the story last night, and the Carolina Hurricanes were not leaving Las Vegas without the cup. Congrats to the Canes and their fans, it has been a long time coming to be honest. They have been a premier team in the Eastern Conference for damn near a decade but have always stumbled mightily the deeper they got in the playoffs, they all obviously changed that narrative this season. Carolina had one of the most dominant post season runs of recent times. They swept both of their first two series, only lost one game in conference finals, and despite Vegas giving them an initial scare it never really seemed in doubt after game 4.
The Hurricanes really left no doubt last night as they completely shutdown Vegas in route to a shutout victory to clinch the cup. Vegas was held without a shot on goal for 15 straight minutes in the second period watching their deficit double. Vegas did respond well at times during the third period, but Brandon Bussi was not allowing anything by him last night. We found out after the game that Freddy Andersen hurt his knee which removed him from the series, and I bet Carolina fans are sneaky very happy about that. I don’t think they wish ill on Freddy but with the way both goaltenders played it would have been hard to imagine Carolina winning with someone other than Bussi in the goal. Bussi must’ve felt like a magnet last night because there were several times, especially in the third period, where he was down and out but the puck found a way to hit him. To win a cup, you need big time saves at some point and Bussi provided that to them.
On the other side of the rink, there was no reason for Vegas to be shutout. They had open cages, breakaways, 2-0s, and they failed to capitalize on any of them. Jack Eichel, the best Knight, hit the crossbar on what should have been a surefire goal. Mitch Marner might feel like he’s back in Toronto because everyone is starting to share his stat lines from games 4-6, though this is pure insanity in my opinion. Marner led the playoffs in points and he had a historical performance in game 3 and then his center got hurt. Idiots in Toronto, who will never see a cup final again, were always going to attempt a victory lap but any sensible person wouldn’t put this series on Mitch.
Three guys deserve blame. First, Eichel failing to score a goal in the finals (again) just cannot happen. Secondly, Carter Hart was absolutely awful during the finals and he probably deserved to be benched for game 6. Finally, I will give some blame to Rasmus Andersson because he was a total anchor for his team. That trade is seemingly a complete disaster for Vegas and if they truly have a handshake deal with him, they better find a way out of that.
I’m sure Vegas will make some insane moves to improve and continue their run as the Evil Empire in the league, but this season was clear that they need to switch something up. Sure, Vegas looked good during the playoffs but something was off during the regular season and catching fire during three series shouldn’t discount months of subpar play.
Enough about Vegas though, the Carolina Hurricanes deserve some serious shine.
First, Rod Brind Amour. Joins a list of three other coaches to win the cup as a player and coach for the same team. He has been an elite coach in this league for year’s and deserves to reach the pinnacle again. However, the most elite thing about Rod is his bod and he might be flaunting it all summer long now that they’re champions.
Taylor Hall was the first player in NHL history to get drafted 1st overall, win an MVP, and win a Stanley Cup all with a different franchise. He was drafted by the Oilers, traded to the Devils where he won an MVP, and eventually found his way to Carolina where he got his cup. Now, I hate when my team plays against Hall because he dives, he really does, but he was so good for Carolina during these playoffs. He was good enough to finish second in Conn Smythe voting and maybe deserved more consideration because of what he did during the first few rounds of the playoffs. Most first overall picks eventually get a cup, and Hall’s no different, but it took him almost a historic amount of time. Maybe he was the center Edmonton should have kept…
Why the Jordan Staal Conn Smythe Vote Was Never Close
Finally, shoutout to Jordan Staal. The rightful Conn Smythe winner. The oldest Conn Smythe winner ever. The longest gap between Stanley Cups ever (17 years). He was a dominant force in the finals. As a matter of fact, the Hurricanes would not have won this series without him. They were struggling to score goals, but Staal would not be deterred. His goals in the first five games of the series tied a record for most consecutive goals scored in a finals. He was a beast offensively, but he never sacrificed his Selke level defense. Staal was a beast in the faceoff dot, winning 70% of his draws, and he was regularly matched up against Eichel who we mentioned didn’t score a goal throughout the entire series. Staal was the biggest determining factor of who won this series and he definitely was the rightful winner of the Conn Smythe. Shoutout to the Penguins for drafting three straight Conn Smythe winning centers in Staal, Crosby (2), and Malkin. Even when they aren’t playing, the Penguins are finding a way to tie themselves to a winner.
