SI:AM | Hurricanes One Win Away From Stanley Cup After Bold Goalie Decision

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I can’t think of a better way to watch the opening game of the World Cup than what I did yesterday: in a barbershop where I was the only one who didn’t speak Spanish, absorbing maybe 40% of everyone’s arguments about who was going to win the tournament.

In today’s SI:AM: 🇲🇽 Mexico’s joyous opening victory 🇺🇸 USMNT vs. Paraguay preview 🧦 White Sox’ star rookie

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Rookie goalie comes up huge for Canes

The Hurricanes are on the cusp of their first Stanley Cup championship in 20 years, and they can thank a rookie goaltender.

Carolina won Game 5 against the Golden Knights on Thursday, 4–2, to take a 3–2 lead in the series and will lift the Cup if they can win Game 6 on Sunday in Vegas.

The win marked the second straight win for Carolina after a heartbreaking double overtime loss in Game 3. That was when the Canes decided to make a switch at goalie.

Veteran Frederik Andersen started the first 16 games of the postseason for Carolina and was mostly pretty good, posting one shutout in each of the team’s first three series. But he was less sharp in the Final, giving up five goals on 23 shots in Game 1 and three goals on 26 shots in Game 2. Game 3 was especially rough for Andersen, as he allowed four goals in the second period. When the Canes took the ice for the third period, Andersen was replaced by Brandon Bussi.

The 27-year-old rookie rose to the occasion and stood tall as Carolina pulled off an incredible comeback (scoring three goals in 39 seconds) to tie the game. Bussi did allow the winning goal in double overtime, but he played well enough (stopping 18 of the 19 shots he faced) to earn the starting nod in Games 4 and 5.

Going with Bussi was a bold choice by Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour. When he was called upon for surprise mop-up duty in Game 3, it was Bussi’s first game action in nearly two months. He’d never played in a playoff game before. Now, he’s the first goalie in NHL history to make his first two career playoff starts in the Stanley Cup Final and win both. Andersen, meanwhile, did not dress for Game 4 or 5. Third-stringer Pyotr Kochetkov served as Bussi’s backup, and the Canes also called up Amir Miftakhov from the AHL to be the third goalie.

It’s usually a bad sign when a team needs to shuffle its goalies in a playoff series, but Bussi has risen to the occasion and now needs to lead the Canes to just one more win before he can become one of the most unlikely goaltenders to win a Stanley Cup.

Skubal’s trade deadline audition

Tarik Skubal throws a pitch — Tarik Skubal will make his first start in more than a month on Saturday. How many more will he make in a Tigers uniform? | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Contenders all across MLB will be keeping a close eye on tomorrow’s Tigers-Guardians game.

Back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is set to make his first start in six weeks after recovering from surgery to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow. Skubal had the operation just 38 days ago.

The Tigers have taken a nosedive since Skubal’s injury. They were 15–16 after he made his last start and have gone 14–24 since. They’re in fourth place in the AL Central, eight games behind the first-place White Sox. (Yes, the White Sox are in first place.)

Skubal is set to become a free agent this offseason and has long been viewed as a likely trade candidate. The injury cast some doubt on whether he’d be moved before the deadline, but his relatively quick return gives him plenty of time to prove to potential suitors that he’s worth surrendering a haul of prospects to acquire.

The other thing about the timing of Skubal’s return is that it gives the Tigers more time to close the gap in the Central. This year’s trade deadline isn’t until Aug. 3. The return of Skubal and No. 2 starter Casey Mize, hasn’t pitched since injuring his groin on May 27, will give Detroit a boost it sorely needs. Mize is expected to start on Sunday in Cleveland. If they can help get the Tigers back in the postseason hunt, then Skubal and Mize will be valuable pieces down the stretch. If the Tigers are still languishing by the time the deadline comes, then both might be finishing the season elsewhere.

The best of Sports Illustrated

Christian Pulisic celebrates after a goal — Christian Pulisic and the U.S. men’s national team begin their World Cup journey tonight in Los Angeles. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The opening game of the 2026 World Cup will live on forever in Mexican lore after El Tri beat South Africa 2-0 on home soil, writes Roberto Casillas.
The USMNT will make its '26 World Cup debut tonight against Paraguay. Ewan Ross-Murray previews the matchup. Sophia Vesely provides her stock up, stock down analysis of the team and Ben Steiner describes what a successful World Cup run would look like for the Americans.
Gilberto Manzano breaks down the NFL’s quarterback battles and Baker Mayfield’s contract dispute.
The Pro Bowl is months away, but it’s the offseason, so let’s ask the question: Who are the players who never should have participated in the event? Matt Verderame put together a list of 10 players who weren’t worthy of the honor.
Braden Montgomery’s walk-off home run in his debut for the first-place White Sox has put the 24-year-old prospect in rarified air, Tom Verducci writes.

The top five…

… things I saw yesterday:
5. A sweet diving catch by Pete Crow-Armstrong.
4. Oh Hyeon-gyu’s late game-winning goal for South Korea against Czechia.
3. Ladislav Krejcí’s opening goal for Czechia on a long throw-in.
2. Reds prospect Kien Vu’s walk-off steal of home.
1. The South African TV crew’s reaction to their team’s loss to Mexico in the opening game of the World Cup.

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