Your permission to jump on the Carolina Hurricanes bandwagon

📆 The schedule

The Carolina Hurricanes lead the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2.

State of play: All games air at 8pm on ABC.

• 😔 Game 1 was a tough 4-5 loss at home. Vegas leads 1-0.
• ✔️ Game 2 was a hard-fought 4-3 overtime win. Series tied 1-1.
• 🫠 Game 3 was a frenetic 4-5 double overtime loss. Vegas leads 2-1.
• ✔️ Game 4 was a statement 5-3 win. Series tied 2-2.
• ✔️ Game 5 was a convincing 4-2 victory. Carolina leads 3-2.
• 🛫 Game 6 in Vegas, Sunday, June 14
• 🎟️ Game 7 at home, Wednesday, June 17

Players to know

The Canes have an extraordinarily deep roster, with many of their top scorers this postseason being acquired in the past two years.

Zoom in: We have our superstars — Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis and Andrei Svechnikov — who skate together on what's called the top line.

• They've been outscored this postseason by our young talent, though. It's been magic lately for 23-year-old Logan Stankoven, 22-year-old Jackson Blake and the older player in their trio, Taylor Hall.

• Defensive stars include Jaccob Slavin, whom we drafted over a decade ago, and K'Andre Miller, who arrived via trade last year.
• There's also our team captain, Jordan Staal, who's having a great year despite being 37. That's old for a hockey player. Skating is extremely physically demanding, which is why the players' shifts typically last less than a minute.

Our primary goalie is Frederik Andersen, a 6-foot-4 veteran player from Denmark.

• Andersen struggled with injuries this season, but was picked to start in the playoffs due to his extensive experience. He's 36.
• He played well through the first three rounds, leaving the team's two younger goalies riding the bench.

Yes, but: Andersen's save percentage dropped significantly in the finals. Carolina subbed in first-year goalie Brandon Bussi, 27, midway through Game 3 and hasn't looked back.

• Bussi journeyed this year from the minors to the pinnacle of the sport. He started Game 4 and Game 5, and the Canes won both games convincingly.
• Andersen, who is grieving the recent death of his longtime mentor Claude Lemieux by suicide, may also be dealing with an undisclosed injury, analysts believe.
• Head coach Rod Brind'Amour isn't yet saying who will start Game 6.

🏒 The big picture

Every year under Brind'Amour, the Canes have made the playoffs. That's eight straight seasons.

• They suffered some excruciating losses, though, and haven't broken through to the finals until now.

Driving the news: The Canes lost just once in the first three rounds, sweeping the Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers before polishing off the Montreal Canadiens in five games.

What they're saying: Analysts and bettors widely picked the Canes over the Vegas Golden Knights.

• "I'm not only convinced they are the better of the two teams remaining, I'm also convinced this is their year. They are healthy, focused and — to use a sports cliche — all pulling on the same rope," NHL.com editor-in-chief Bill Price wrote.

Catch up quick: Carolina won its first and only Stanley Cup 20 years ago, in 2006.

• Today's Canes play an aggressive and suffocating style.
• In the first three rounds, they outshot their opponents 438-290, which makes the games extremely fun to watch, even for a casual fan.

Between the lines: The NHL added the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, and they've been extraordinarily successful since, winning the Stanley Cup in 2023 and missing the playoffs only once.

• Vegas fans haven't dealt with the pain other franchises have experienced, so it's easy to root for the Canes.

Stuff you'll hear

• 😎 Nicknames: They're big in hockey. Aho is Fishy. Slavin is Slave-oh. Shayne Gostisbehere is Ghost.
• 🚨 The siren: Games start with someone sounding the siren, most often a local celebrity or sports figure.
• 🇺🇸 The anthem: The whole crowd shouts "RED!" when the "rocket's red glare" line comes.
• ❌ Cheaters! Never! Win! The arena chants this whenever a player from the other team goes to the penalty box.
• 📣 The Ric Flair "wooo!" Fans do this all the time — to celebrate a win, a goal, a power play or just the joy of being alive to watch this team play.
• 🏟️ The Lenny: Some people are calling the recently renamed Lenovo Center this. Probably a psyop. May or may not stick.
• 🥅 Freddie! Freddie! This cheer is for our goalie.

🏟️ Where to watch games

Tickets are reselling for thousands of dollars, putting an in-person experience out of reach for many.

Yes, but: Watch parties are drawing huge crowds, too.

• For home games, the city has been throwing free watch parties in Moore Square. High turnout prompted an upgrade to Red Hat Amphitheater for Game 5.

Lenovo Center has options, too.

• For home games, fans can watch a screen outside the arena for free.
• Away games are played on the video board inside. They cost $10 a person, though parking is free. Games 3 and 4 both sold out.

Other options: Smoky Hollow and The Avenue in Glenwood South both have massive outdoor screens.

• Carolina Ale House locations around the Triangle are classic places to watch.
• In Cary, Sports & Social at Fenton has a massive TV wall.
• And E.O.'s Athletic Club in downtown Durham has great food for a sports bar.

Also, just try any bar with TVs. No wrong answers this time of year.

📲 Accounts to follow

The official @Canes team account is a good follow across platforms.

• There's an active Reddit community at r/canes. For memes, there's @wurricanes on Instagram and @soIoucity on X. Also, Gov. Josh Stein has taken up live-tweeting during games.
• For game coverage, try The News & Observer, radio station 99.9 and The Athletic.
• That should be enough to get hockey showing up in your algorithm.