The Athletic has live coverage of Hurricanes vs. Golden Knights in Game 6 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.RALEIGH, N.C. — Here’s one reason the Carolina Hurricanes find themselves one win away from taking a lap with the Stanley Cup: their coach, after the 60 minutes that put them in that position, was still combing for nits.“I didn’t think we had a great first period, that’s for sure,” Rod Brind’Amour said on Thursday night. His team had just beaten the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final — a game that, after 20 minutes, was tied 1-1. “(In the second period) we kind of got our game going, I think. Poise, I’m not sure, I didn’t like a lot of the stuff we were doing at times.”Here’s another reason the Hurricanes, for the first time in the series, have full control over their championship destiny: Their goalie, thrown into the deep end after two months on bench-door duty, filled in the gaps.Brind’Amour’s team might not have had poise in its first 20 minutes of hockey. Brandon Bussi, the coach said, certainly did. And now, the 27-year-old goalie has taken what could’ve been a disaster for Carolina — what should’ve been, perhaps — and shaped it into a blessing.We don’t know why Frederik Andersen hasn’t skated with his team since Saturday, and we’re not going to guess. Brind’Amour said earlier in the week that Andersen, remarkable enough in the first half of the postseason to seemingly turn Bussi into the perma-backup, needed rest, and he’s gotten two full games’ worth.We know now, though, that as it relates to his return (and with all due respect), Andersen shouldn’t get to call his shot. Bussi looks rested. More often than not, he’s looked ready. And on Thursday night, with Vegas’ Carter Hart nearly completing his own pivot from Conn Smythe Trophy candidate to Guy On The Bench In A Baseball Cap, Bussi certainly looked like the best goalie in the series.