After four games, the 2026 Stanley Cup Final remains as unpredictable as ever.
The Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights head into Thursday’s Game 5 with the series tied 2-2 after Carolina captain Jordan Staal scored twice to help the Hurricanes to a 5-3 victory on Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena.
To prepare for a pivotal Game 5 back in Raleigh, let’s dive into my Golden Knights vs Hurricanes best bets.
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes Game 5 Odds
All NHL odds used for these Hurricanes vs Golden Knights predictions are current as of Thursday, June 11, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Moneyline: Golden Knights (+130) / Hurricanes (-155)
- Spread: Golden Knights +1.5 (-205) / Hurricanes -1.5 (+170)
- Over/Under: Over 6.5 Goals (+110) / Under 6.5 Goals (-130)
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes Game 5 Predictions
Score Prediction: Hurricanes 4, Golden Knights 3
These teams have alternated wins and losses over the first four games of this series, but I’m backing the Hurricanes to stop that trend Thursday night on home ice.
Rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi has played at a high level since taking over for Frederik Andersen late in Game 3. He stopped 18 of the 21 shots he faced in Game 4 to pick up the win in his first career playoff start.
His opposite number, Carter Hart, has struggled between the pipes for Vegas in this series, allowing four goals in every game thus far. That’s not ideal against a team like the Hurricanes, who were the NHL’s best defensive team this season.
While the Canes haven’t particularly shown that defensive resolve in the Stanley Cup Final, they did limit Vegas to its fewest shots in the series in Game 4 (21), which could be a building block moving forward.
Golden Knights vs Hurricanes Game 5 Best Bets
Golden Knights @ Hurricanes: Over 6.5 Goals (+110)
After Games 1-4 sailed over the total of 5.5 goals, oddsmakers have adjusted by raising the total to 6.5.
However, I’m not sure that line movement makes much of a difference, considering these teams have combined for seven or more goals in every game thus far.
And despite the high-scoring atmosphere of this series, there are still some places where each team could improve. The Golden Knights’ power play is 1-for-12 in this series, while the Hurricanes haven’t gotten much from stars Andrei Svechnikov (1 goal, 1 assist) and Sebastian Aho (0 goals, 4 assists) against Vegas.
At plus-money odds, I’ll take a chance on the run on overs continuing as my NHL pick of the day.
Hurricanes ML (-155) vs Golden Knights
While I don’t love laying the juice with the Hurricanes, I would recommend playing this one a little cautiously, considering we’ve already had two overtime games in this series.
Carolina shared the league lead in home wins (29) during the regular season and owns a 7-2 postseason record at the Lenovo Center, with four of those playoff victories coming beyond the 60 minutes of regulation.
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So while I’d like to play the Hurricanes to win in regulation (+110), I’m not sure that’s the best idea.
Still, I trust Rod Brind’Amour’s squad to defend home ice after retaking the momentum in this series in Game 4.
