HURRICANE FORCE: Canes blank Vegas 3-0, win 2nd Stanley Cup title

Mike Whiting, better known to Carolina Hurricanes fans as "Big Mike," has spent 25 years rallying crowds inside the Lenovo Center with his booming horn and signature "Let's go Canes" chant. The longtime fan and Canes ambassador says this postseason has been "electric."

Whiting, who can often be found on the concourse greeting fellow Caniacs and showing off his 2006 Stanley Cup ring, said nothing compares to the atmosphere of playoff hockey.

Mike Whiting, better known to Carolina Hurricanes fans as "Big Mike", has spent 25 years rallying crowds inside the Lenovo Center.

"You got the lights, the sounds, you can hear the players yelling from the ice skate scraping on the ice. It's like a multi-sensory experience. You have to be here," he said.

Whiting sits in Section 229 for every home game, right beside the siren, bringing his "infectious energy" and, of course, his horn.

"It's just amazing, the atmosphere and being around all the people, everybody rooting for the same team," he said.

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Brandon Bussi was in goal at the Carolina Hurricanes' morning skate on Monday, indicating that coach Rod Brind'Amour may be making a change at the goaltender position for Game 4.

Frederick Andersen was not at practice.

Brandon Bussi was in goal at morning skate, indicating that Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour may be making a change at the position for Game 4.

Andersen started Saturday night's Game 3 in Las Vegas, yeilding four goals before giving way to Bussi.

Bussi hadn't played in nearly two months but was stellar in goal before giving up the game-winner on a bot of a fluke bounce in double overtime.

Some good news for the Canes: William Carrier, who had been listed as day to day with an upper body injury, was skating at practice on Monday morning.

The on-ice celebration was underway for the Carolina Hurricanes, ticket in hand for their first Stanley Cup Final in two decades.

But defenseman Jalen Chatfield had to bolt. Like, right now. He had just found out his wife, Drew, went into labor shortly before the Hurricanes' Eastern Conference Final clincher. He quickly showered and changed, then hopped in an unmarked police car for a blue-lights-on rush to the hospital.

"Everything was good, yeah, I made it on time with a couple of hours to spare," Chatfield said of son Rhodes. "He was born at like 2 a.m., so, perfect."

Chasing the Cup is pressure enough for the Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights in a chaos-filled series with nightly multigoal comebacks and two overtime finishes. Throw in a life-changing event at home while fumbling with diaper changes or a baby crying through sleep-interrupted nights - and, well, there's a lot going on at the moment.

Three Hurricanes players have welcomed babies in these playoffs since early May.

Multiple members of the Golden Knights are preparing for deliveries of their own this month, offering the potential of adding to the postseason baby boom amid the sport's biggest event that could go until June 17 if there is a Game 7. Vegas leads 2-1 going into Tuesday night's Game 3.

"It's going to be a lot of great stories to talk about," said Vegas center Nic Dowd, whose wife, Paige, is due for their third child this month. "Having a new baby and trying to win a Stanley Cup, I'm going to compartmentalize those things. They're different than each other, but definitely exciting and stressful. The biggest challenges in life are going to have the best rewards."

Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said he doesn't "anticipate a lot of changes" to his Game 4 lineup after his team fell behind 2-1 in its Stanley Cup Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Does that mean goalie Freddie Andersen has the crease back after getting pulled in the third period of Carolina's Game 3 loss on Saturday?

"We'll make all decisions after we practice tomorrow, see how he's feeling," Brind'Amour said Sunday, the first of two off-days between games here. "I haven't made any decisions on the lineup, so I can't tell you."

Andersen gave up four goals on 16 shots through two periods in Game 3, as the Golden Knights built a 4-0 lead. Brandon Bussi replaced him to start the third period and stopped Mitch Marner's bid for a fourth goal in the game on a penalty shot. Bussi stopped 18-of-19 shots he faced before losing in double-overtime on a freakish bounce off the end boards following a Shea Theodore shot. It was Bussi's first appearance since April 14.

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Where to watch the Stanley Cup Final

Each night before the puck drops ABC11 will have a show dedicated to the Canes as they make their 2026 Stanley Cup Final run. The half-hour specials will be on TV and our streaming channel at 7:30 p.m. (EST). Caniacs can watch wherever they stream ABC11.

The puck drops at 8:00 p.m. on game nights and you can watch live on ABC11.

ESPN contributed to this report