Carolina Hurricanes win on the road to claim first NHL title in 20 years

LAS VEGAS (WTVD) -- Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake each scored their seventh goal of the postseason, and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final Sunday night, giving the franchise its second NHL title.

Starting for the third straight game, after his team trailed in the series 2-1, undrafted rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi made 22 saves and picked up the win, his third of the postseason.

The Golden Knights, who made an unlikely run just to reach the final, struggled badly to muster any kind of offense in Game 6 and went 18:37 between shots on goal in the second and third periods. Playing in their third Cup final, this is the first time they have been shut out.

This clinching game was what many observers expected the series to be like between the defensive-minded teams, but each side watched leads of two-plus goals disappear in the first three games.

Now, the Cup belongs to the Hurricanes, led by coach Rod Brind'Amour, who also captained Carolina to its 2006 title.

This was the first game of the series that Vegas goalie Carter Hart didn't allow four goals in a game. He finished with 20 saves.

The Hurricanes began to assume control of the series after falling behind by the score of 4-0 in Game 3. They came back force overtime, and though the Canes lost, they outplayed the Golden Knights from there on out.

Reflecting the do-or-die situation for the Golden Knights, they made several lineup changes, with Brett Howden replacing the injured William Karlsson at second-line center. Mitch Marner could have moved there, but remained at right wing.

Original Golden Knight Reilly Smith made his Cup final debut at third-line right wing and Braeden Bowman made his playoff debut at fourth-line right wing. Kaedan Korczak replaced Dyland Coghlan on the third defensive pairing.

Nikolaj Ehlers added an empty net goal at the 18:52 mark of the third period to conclude the scoring. It was his eighth of the playoffs in his first season as a Hurricane.

The Golden Knights were attempting to win their second Stanley Cup in four seasons.

The Associated Press and ESPN contributed to this report.