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Hurricanes Lead 3-2; Vegas Keeps Struggling Hart

6/14/2026

45 4 Full Breakdown

Summary

Vegas Sticks With Hart

Vegas kept Canadian goaltender Carter Hart in net for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final Sunday.
Hart became the first NHL goalie to allow four goals in each of the first five Final games, dropping his series save percentage to .856 from .924.
Coach John Tortorella called goaltending change “the stupidest question I’ve heard,” as Carolina Hurricanes lead series 3-2 after Games 4 and 5 with Jordan Staal scoring in each.

Summary

Hill Goalie Change

Fan poll asks whether coach Jon Tortorella should start backup goaltender Adin Hill instead of starter Robin Hart for Game 6.
Hill, on a six-year, $37.5 million contract, has a career playoff save percentage of .917 and posted .932 after a 61-day layoff, stopping all 24 shots.
He has not dressed since April 9, marking 64 days of inactivity, while Hart won 19 of his first 23 starts under Tortorella in Vegas.

Summary

Hart Reinstated

The NHL reinstated Carter Hart and the other four former Canada under-20 players on Oct. 15, 2025, after a summer 2025 trial acquitted them of sexual-assault charges.
Hart, charged on Jan. 30, 2024, was acquitted because prosecutors failed to meet the burden of proof.
Fans at Hurricanes games repeatedly chanted “no means no!” referencing the trial, which Hart called “just noise” after the morning skate.

Summary

Karlsson Out

Forward William Karlsson will miss Game 6 after an upper-body injury ended his Game 5.
His absence leaves the Golden Knights without a key lower-line center.
Coach John Tortorella called for a “next-man-up” plan using veteran depth.
Carolina’s power play has netted six goals in four games, with forward Andrei Svechnikov leading.
Seventy-four percent of teams that win Game 5 in a 2-2 series later capture the Stanley Cup.

History

Historical Context

The 2004-05 NHL lockout, led by Commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHL Players’ Association, ended on July 22 2005 after a 310-day dispute, producing a $2.2 billion salary cap that capped team payrolls at $50.3 million for 2005-06. That cap framework still guides roster decisions, as seen in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final where Hurricanes coach John Tortorella shuffled goaltenders to stay under the limit and relied on cap-friendly depth.

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Vegas Sticks With Hart

Vegas kept Canadian goaltender Carter Hart in net for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final Sunday.
Hart became the first NHL goalie to allow four goals in each of the first five Final games, dropping his series save percentage to .856 from .924.
Coach John Tortorella called goaltending change “the stupidest question I’ve heard,” as Carolina Hurricanes lead series 3-2 after Games 4 and 5 with Jordan Staal scoring in each.

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