Blown away: Hurricanes blank Golden Knights in Game 6 to win 2nd Stanley Cup

Mark Stone isn’t one to struggle for words.

As the Vegas Golden Knights captain, the emotional leader, answers are usually easy — good or bad — from Stone. Not this time.

At least a five-second pause in nearly every answer. Conjuring up thoughts on a run that wasn’t supposed to happen when the playoffs started two months ago.

Now at an end.

“It kills me inside standing here right now,” Stone said.

The Knights’ improbable postseason run came to an end Sunday night, with the Carolina Hurricanes capturing their second Stanley Cup championship in franchise history with a 3-0 victory in Game 6 at T-Mobile Arena.

It’s Carolina’s first championship since 2006 when now-coach Rod Brind’Amour was the captain.

Current Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal, 37, became the oldest winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP after finishing with six goals during a five-game goal streak.

“I’m so happy for these guys,” Brind’Amour said. “I won it as a player. I wanted it, but I wanted it for these guys as a coach because it just means so much. You see how happy they are. I’m an old guy now, but I had my one. Trust me, I’m glad we got another one, but it’s for these guys. That’s what it’s all about.”

The Knights led the series 2-1 eight days ago after an unthinkable 5-4 victory in double overtime in Game 3. They were two wins away and in control of their own destiny.

Driving the Bus

But the series turned when Brind’Amour turned to goaltender Brandon Bussi in Game 4. Bussi, the 27-year-old undrafted netminder, won 31 games during the regular season, but Brind’Amour went to veteran Frederik Andersen during the playoffs.

Andersen allowed 12 goals the first three games and was pulled before the third period in Game 3.

Bussi stabilized Carolina’s crease and gave the Hurricanes newfound confidence. He became the first goalie in NHL history to make his first three career playoff starts in the Stanley Cup Final and win all three.

He capped off a historic run with a 22-save shutout, the ninth Cup-clinching shutout in the past 50 years. Carolina finished the postseason 16-3.

“I felt their goaltender was really good tonight,” coach John Tortorella said. “Since he came in, he’s been very good.”

Knights goaltender Carter Hart responded with his best outing of the series. After giving up four goals in each of the first five games — and Tortorella doubling down in his trust in him — Hart made 20 saves and gave his team ample chances to stay in it.

Turnovers, once again, doomed the Knights.

Carolina winger Taylor Hall opened the scoring 3:47 into the game after a misplay from forwards Ivan Barbashev and Brett Howden at the offensive blue line.

Hall received a stretch pass from defenseman Jaccob Slavin and beat Hart low glove side.

Jackson Blake made it 2-0 at 13:31 of the second after relentless forechecking by center Logan Stankoven forced a loose puck in the corner. Blake stood in the slot, and his shot deflected off Mitch Marner and redirected past Hart.

Nikolaj Ehlers scored into an empty net with 1:08 remaining to cue the celebrations from the thousands of Carolina fans that invaded T-Mobile Arena.

“It’s not a good feeling right now,” defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “This is tough to be on this side of it. These chances don’t come around very often, so it stings.”

‘A team that everyone loves to hate’

It’s a tough end to a run that went longer than anyone expected when the Knights fired Bruce Cassidy and replaced him with Tortorella on March 29.

They went 7-0-1 in the final eight games of the regular season to win the Pacific Division. They won two six-game series against the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks, then followed with a four-game sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final.

Tortorella, who was signed only through this season, deflected when asked if he would like to coach the Knights next season.

“I like the team,” Tortorella said. “It’s a good group of guys. Driven. Experienced. They’re good pros. It’s a really good team.”

It’s the third time the Stanley Cup has been awarded on the ice of T-Mobile Arena. Twice, the Knights have been in their own locker rooms wondering what could’ve been.

It’s the first time with the core of Stone, Marner and Eichel at the forefront.

“This feeling sucks. I never want to have it again,” Stone said. “I look at everything that happened throughout this season, the ups and the downs to give us a chance to play in the finals, is pretty impressive, but it doesn’t make things better.”

It’s not lost on Stone on what the hockey world thinks of the Knights. They leaned into their villain era. Stone said that’s what the rest of the locker room thrives on.

Every villain needs to be defeated at some point.

The Knights were the ones that wouldn’t go away until the final blow landed from the “Bunch of Jerks” from Raleigh.

“I’m not so sure many people thought that this team would be here competing at this time of year,” Stone said. “We’re a team that everyone loves to hate. It fuels our fire, and it’s going to fuel our fire moving forward.”