Golden Knights vs Hurricanes Game 5 Picks: Best Bets, Predictions & Odds

Golden Knights vs Hurricanes Game 5 best bets, picks and props: expert NHL predictions, Hurricanes ML, Under 6.5 and top player props.

June 11, 2026

Golden Knights vs Hurricanes Game 5 Picks: Best Bets, Predictions & Odds

By:

Daniel Dobish

June 11, 2026

NHL Picks

NHL Best Bets & Picks for Golden Knights vs Hurricanes - June 11 - Game 5 Predictions

The Stanley Cup Final is set for a pivotal Game 5 on Thursday night, as the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes are tied 2-2 in their best-of-seven series. Puck drop at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C. is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed or streamed on ABC.

In Game 3, the Golden Knights took a 4-0 lead, only to see the Hurricanes score three in a 39-second span in the third period. Then, Carolina forced overtime, and, subsequently, double-overtime, with a late power-play goal with an extra attacker. Eventually, VGK escaped with a goal in the second extra session, as Shea Theodore got a fortunate bounce off the skate of Brandon Bussi, the replacement goaltender.

In Game 4, the teams again turned up the intensity on offense, with Carolina firing out to a 3-1 lead after one period. Two-goal leads have been dangerous in this series, and Game 4 was no exception, as Vegas stormed back to make it 3-3. However, Carolina settled down and won it 5-3, forcing it back to Raleigh for this pivotal Game 5.

We'll take a look at some same-game parlay (SGP) possibilities, and we'll also kick the tires on some player props to make things a little more interesting. Let's get started!

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Expert NHL Best Bets for Golden Knights vs Hurricanes Matchup

Vegas Golden Knights at Carolina Hurricanes

In Game 4, the Hurricanes led by a 28-to-21 margin in shots on goal, while the Golden Knights posted 38 hits, with the Canes checking in with 34.

Carolina continues to do the little things well, which often get overlooked. The Hurricanes won 56.9 percent of the faceoff opportunities, which can be huge in the offensive zone, especially. The Canes were 1-for-3 on the power play, too, while shutting down the Golden Knights, who went 0-for-3 on the man advantage.

Both teams took four minor penalties, while the Hurricanes blocked four more shots than VGK, and Carolina registered seven takeaways to just three for Vegas. The Golden Knights had 23 giveaways, too, while the Hurricanes were charged with just 15.

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As mentioned, the Hurricanes started quickly in Game 4. Logan Stankoven scored his 11th goal of the season just 66 seconds into the game, while the diminutive Jackson Blake added a goal at 3:28 to make "The Fortress" sound like a tomb.

It wasn't until 7:22 of the first, when Mark Stone struck for a goal, that the VGK fans could breathe a sigh of relief. Stone beat Brandon Bussi, who was making his first NHL postseason start, and his first start of any kind since April 14 in the regular season.

Head coach Rod Brind'Amour made the difficult decision to pull Frederik Andersen in Game 3 after going down 4-0 after two periods. Bussi came on, gave the team a spark, and held VGK scoreless in the third period and first overtime of that game, before being beaten on an unfortunate bounce. Despite Andersen's 13-2-0 record, 1.89 GAA and .910 SV% with three shutouts in the playoffs, Brind'Amour went another way. The move paid off, as Bussi picked up the Game 4 win.

Jordan Staal scored a power-play goal at 12:48 of the first period to restore the two-goal lead, and that's how things stayed into intermission. Staal has scored a goal in all four games of the Stanley Cup Final, the first player since Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders in 1982 to accomplish that feat. He also joined Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux as the only NHL players to score five goals in the first four games of a Stanley Cup Final. Wow.

In the second period, William Karlsson and Brett Howden scored a pair of goals, with Cowboy Bill assisting on Howden's marker, as VGK pulled even at 3-3.

In the third, however, it was Staal's goal while lying on the ice, flicking it backhanded past a sprawling Carter Hart, which ended up being the difference. Hart has allowed exactly four goals in each game of this series, and it wouldn't be surprising to see bench boss John Tortorella consider getting away from him, trying to tap into some goaltender change magic as Brind'Amour did.

Nikolaj Ehlers deposited a goal into the empty net with 55 seconds left for the 5-3 win, and it was actually the first game of the series that was not decided by a single goal.

Looking to Game 5, it's hard not to love the Hurricanes on home ice. Lenovo Center is going to be an insane asylum. It is already one of the loudest houses in the NHL, if not THE loudest, and the Carolina players will feed off that energy early. However, unlike the first four games, which have ended up going Over, I believe we get our first Under result of the series. Defense and hitting should pick up, and we'll get a little bit tighter of a game. I wouldn't be shocked to see a 3-2 result. And let's go with the Canes to get that job done.

As far as player props, Staal is +370 as an Anytime Goal Scorer. Do you believe in him again? I can't go with that, but it's super tempting to play lightly. However, let's go back to Ehlers as an Anytime Goal Scorer. He has been a gigantic pick-up for this organization, and I like his chances to score much better. And, for VGK, Rasmus Andersson has just one assist in four games in this series. However, he blocked three shots in Game 4, and he has at least two blocks in each of the past three outings.