May 21, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes left wing Eric Robinson (50) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period in game one of the Eastern Conferene Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
May 21, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes left wing Eric Robinson (50) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period in game one of the Eastern Conferene Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
The Vegas Golden Knights are now heading to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in their nine-year existence, with an impressive win against the Avalanche that had won the Presidents' Trophy.
However, where the Knights will play the final will depend on what happens next between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final.
"If Carolina closes this series out in 5 games, the Stanley Cup Final will begin on June 2 in Raleigh," said The Fourth Period insider, Pagnotta reported.
"If somehow Montreal forces a Game 6 and/or 7, the Stanley Cup Final begins June 4 in either East city," he added.
The team with the better regular-season record will hold home ice in the Cup Final. So if Carolina wins, their 53-22-7 regular season record will come into play.
Yet, if Montreal somehow ends up making a historic comeback, the Canadiens (48-24-10), who finished with the sixth-best record, would have the home-ice advantage over the Golden Knights.
Eastern Conference Final Series Breakdown
Carolina entered this series as clear favourites, and in Game 1, they even defeated the Hurricanes 6-2. However, the momentum came to a grinding halt in Game 2.
Carolina responded immediately. The Hurricanes won Games 2 and 3 in overtime, both with a score of 3-2, before sweeping the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 in Game 4.
Carolina entered this postseason with a strong record of having outscored opponents 24-10. This happened across eight games and allowed fewer than ten goals.
Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal, Shayne Gostisbehere, and Andrei Svechnikov have all contributed heavily to offense.
For Montreal, the path to the final gets harder from here. Martin St-Louis already pushed this team through two seven-game series. The first was against Tampa Bay, and then against Buffalo, winning both series 4-3.
Now Game 5 against Carolina will take place in Raleigh, and the Hurricanes don't lose at home too often. In fact, they'll have to win the next two games to take the series to Game 7.
So, where do you think the Stanley Cup Final will play out this year? Tell us in the comments.
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Written by
Aadhya Nalla
Edited by
Sagnik Bagchi