RALEIGH, N.C. — Monday marked the third Stanley Cup Final media day for the Vegas Golden Knights. The only difference this time was the venue.
A back room at Lenovo Center was packed to the brim with media members from across North America who have descended upon Raleigh for the start of the Stanley Cup Final, which begins on Tuesday.
Eight podiums scattered across three-quarters of the room. The other fourth was curtained off for the availability for the coach and general manager for each respected team.
It was a frenzy, but it’s also become the norm for the Knights. They’ll face the Carolina Hurricanes as they try for their second championship in four years.
“It feels great. Excited to be here,” captain Mark Stone said. “Excited to get another opportunity to compete for the Stanley Cup. It’s been a long week, a lot of practice, so it’s exciting to get going.”
It will be a week since the Knights last played when they completed the surprising four-game sweep of the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final.
They’re rested, and also nearing full health. Defenseman Jeremy Lauzon was a full-contact participant at practice Monday and could be available for his first game since May 1.
There’s anxiety in wanting to get back on the ice. It was evident even watching what was the Knights’ last spirited practice before the fun begins.
“I think every year is different, and this experience is different in a lot of ways than it was in ‘23,” center Jack Eichel said. “Things change year to year, but I think you can draw off your experience a little bit as far as what to expect.”
The Knights are expecting a fight against Carolina, the top seed in the Eastern Conference that has gone 12-1 in the postseason.
Carolina is coming off a five-game victory over the Montreal Canadiens in the conference final. The Hurricanes won the last two games by a combined score of 10-1 after winning the previous two in overtime.
“They’re a good team. They’re aggressive, and they’re fast,” defenseman Shea Theodore said. “They’re hard to play against.”
First-timers aplenty
The Knights can certainly rely on those who won the first Stanley Cup in team history four years ago. Especially for the players that have yet to win one, or haven’t been in this situation before.
Defensemen Noah Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson are playing in their first Cup Final. So are center Nic Dowd, goaltender Carter Hart and leading goal scorer Pavel Dorofeyev.
Hanifin, like Eichel, won gold at the Winter Olympics for Team USA and has the opportunity to cap off a memorable year with four more wins.
“It’d be amazing, of course,” Hanifin said. “Going through that experience at the Olympics was special and possibly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I think now, just to be here, playing for the Stanley Cup, playing for the ultimate goal, you never know when this opportunity is going to come around again.”
Center Tomas Hertl isn’t playing in his first final, but it feels like. Hertl is playing in his first Cup Final in 10 years when he was a member of the San Jose Sharks.
“It’s so awesome,” Hertl said. “It’s 10 years since. It’s a long time. We were just saying, you expect to be back and during the journey, a couple of good runs, you figure out how hard it is. When you’re young, you just have a good time and enjoy being there. When you play in the league for so long, every year is harder and harder. That’s why I want to enjoy this moment and do my best.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
