RALEIGH, N.C. — The Vegas Golden Knights are down 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Final, so their championship hopes now hinge on winning two straight games against a Carolina Hurricanes team that is peaking at the right time and has beaten them in back-to-back games.
Carolina has filled the net, with 21 goals in five games. Captain Jordan Staal has six of those goals and is on a five-game goal streak. Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov have left their struggles in the dust, and they combined for three goals in a 4-2 victory in Game 5.
Meanwhile, Jack Eichel is still looking for his first goal in the series, and the center of Vegas’ top-performing line, William Karlsson, exited the game with an injury that will “probably” keep him out of Game 6.
Reaching a point of desperation, the Golden Knights might need their goalie to steal Game 6.
Luckily for them, they have a Stanley Cup winner sitting on the bench — one with playoff pedigree, a history of playing lights-out after being thrown into the middle of a series, and a lot to prove.
Adin Hill could be their best chance at turning around this series.
Carter Hart backstopped the team through the first three rounds of the playoffs, and did it well, but at times in this series he has looked like he’s running on fumes. In Game 4, he became the first goalie in NHL history to allow four or more goals in four straight games to begin a Cup final series. In Game 5, he became the first to do it in five straight.
Coach John Tortorella has zero interest in a goalie swap. Asked if he considered it on Thursday, he snapped, “Oh, Christ. That could be the stupidest question I’ve heard.”
Tortorella has been unusually defensive of Hart this postseason. He has shut down any suggestion of concern or contemplation in the crease swiftly and defiantly. The two have a history that goes back to 2022 in Philadelphia, and Hart won 19 of his first 23 starts with Tortorella behind the bench in Vegas, so the two have a level of trust and loyalty.
Hart has played well in these playoffs, and he doesn’t shoulder the majority of the blame for the way the Cup final has turned out. It’s not as though he’s allowing soft goals every night. The only goal that could be placed solely at his feet on Thursday was Carolina’s second, a power-play goal by Svechnikov. On that play, Hart was surprised by a low shot that slipped through his pads. It could’ve just been a misread, but it could also have been a sign of fatigue. It’s not clear how Hart feels, or how he’s handling this turbulence, because he has yet to speak to the media after a game during this series.
He hasn’t looked quite as sharp against the Hurricanes, who fire pucks on net from every area and direction. He has made most of the saves he should make, but few beyond that. He could be gassed from the long, arduous playoff run. After all, he went nearly two years without playing a game, then played only 18 regular-season games. Now, he has played nearly every other night for almost two months, in the most high-stress, exhausting environment possible.
If the Golden Knights have to bet on a goalie to steal them a game, or possibly two, perhaps the better bet is on Hill, who is fresh and eager for redemption.
Hill had a terrible 2025-26 season. He started slow, suffered multiple lower-body injuries and never found his stride. He also never had the chance to play behind the Golden Knights in their current form under Tortorella. After all, Hart had a .871 save percentage in his 12 starts for Vegas before the coaching change, which was below Hill’s .877.
It’s fair to question whether Hill could jump into a must-win game after 64 days away, but he has shown the ability to do it in the past, on multiple occasions.
In 2023, Laurent Brossoit exited Game 3 of Vegas’ second-round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers with an injury. Hill hadn’t started a game in 61 days, but was tossed into the middle of the first period of a tie game. He stopped all 24 shots to lead Vegas to a victory. He went on an 11-4 run, with a .932 save percentage, to help lead the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup championship, and finished third in voting for the Conn Smythe Trophy.
In that run, Hill was insulated behind a stout defense, but he had some spectacular performances along the way. He stopped 38 of 40 shots to close out the Oilers in Game 6 on the road. He shut the Stars out in Game 6 in Dallas to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. He was brilliant in Game 1 of that series against Florida, which included a game-altering paddle save on Panthers forward Nick Cousins that is immortalized in the mind of every Golden Knights fan.
In 2024, it hadn’t been quite as long a layoff, but Hill was thrown into the middle of Vegas’ first-round playoff series against Dallas. He replaced Logan Thompson after losses in Games 3 and 4, and put up a .931 save percentage in the next three games, including a sensational shutout in Game 6 at home to force a Game 7.
Boy, could the Golden Knights use one of those on Sunday.
Hill is no stranger to big saves in big moments. His .917 career playoff save percentage is the highest of any goalie with at least 30 appearances since 2023. Among goalies with more than 20 games, it ranks second behind only Igor Shesterkin (.928). Hill has saved 18.21 goals above expected in the postseason, which ranks second behind only Sergei Bobrovsky (23.84) since 2023.
Sometimes, a fresh goalie can transform a team. The Golden Knights should know that better than anyone. It happened when Tortorella walked into the building and anointed Hart the starter over Hill in April. It has happened to them over the last two games, with Carolina’s Brandon Bussi coming in for Frederik Andersen. The rookie was outstanding Thursday night and has undoubtedly helped swing the series in Carolina’s favor since he took the net.
Much like Hart, Andersen wasn’t solely to blame. He gave up 12 goals in the first three games of the series, but none were what you’d call “soft.” But Andersen also wasn’t making game-changing saves the way Bussi has over the last eight periods of hockey. Hart made those types of saves over the first three rounds, but hasn’t done so in the final.
There’s obviously no guarantee that turning to Hill would work, and based on Tortorella’s words and actions, it’s unlikely it will happen. But Hill is a gamer who is playoff-tested. He has kept a remarkably positive attitude throughout this run, despite losing his starting job in the first year of a six-year, $37.5 million contract.
Goaltending coach Sean Burke had a long conversation with Hill following Thursday’s morning skate. It could’ve been about where they were having lunch. It could’ve been confirming that he’s ready to step in if needed. After five straight games with four goals allowed, it feels like he’s needed.
Hill is being paid like a Cup-winning goalie and has the ring to justify it. It might be time for the Golden Knights to ask him to help them add another.