Lord Stanley's Pool enters the final round with an unexpected matchup of Carolina versus Vegas, as the pool's contenders jockey for final positioning. It's an open race with multiple possible winners. See the Round 3 Analysis for the contender scenarios, who was Hot and Not in round 3, and projected final round results. Good luck to all (who still have a shot)!

Shayne Ghostisbehere had two points for Carolina as they bounced back again after a game one loss. He contributed to Brad Moulton's five-point night, lifting him into second place just one point out of first. Peter Tanner also had five and Matthew Warner six to jump into 22nd place, still 16 points away from the podium.

Also collecting six points were Claudia Winkler and Ryan Wood, who are flush with six players in the final round. Their miss was picking Brandon Bussi as their Carolina goaltender (along with 20 other people). In hindsight, Frederik Andersen (only 8 picks) would have Claudia and Ryan in first place instead of 28th.

Vegas took game one with the help of defenseman Shea Theodore's three points. They lifted Amy van Steendelaar briefly into a tie for first before Toni Laronga got the goalie win. Theodore's points also contributed to five-point nights for Hugh Freedman, who climbed from 11th to 8th, and Tim Day, 35th to 25th.

Carolina's smothering play finished off the Habs and set up a final round that may look a lot like the round it just finished. The Hurricanes' 316 picks should be playing a much larger role in the outcome, but it was the upper entries with Montreal's 217 picks that were poised to make a difference in the final round. For now, at the end of round three, Toni Laronga continues to lead with 120 points, ahead of second place Amy von Steendelaar (118) with Brad Moulton and Brendan Ash tied for third (116). Brad has four picks remaining, but Brendan and Dan Greenstein (114) have a potential Vegas Cup bonus of 10 points. Down in 35th, a ways back with 98 points we also have Peter Tanner with 6 picks and a Vegas bonus and Matthew Warner with 5 picks and a Carolina bonus who could be longshot contenders.

Frederik Andersen notched his third shutout of the playoffs as Carolina appears to be in full control of their series against Montreal. His 8 picks led by Lisa Marion (15th place) and Brett Kirkpatrick (16th) score 26 points each, leading not just goalies but all players and will surely land him on the 2026 Dream Team.

Colorado's 943 player picks and 213 Cup picks are OUT after being swept by Vegas. This affects about 75% of the pool in a bad way, about 25% in a good way. Amy van Steendelaar, currently in 3rd place, is the immediate benefactor, having 6 picks remaining while most of the top 20 have 3 or fewer. Chesterfield von Picklepuck III (15th) has 5 players and Jamie Sarner (17th) has 6. All three stand to gain ground, but Amy and Jamie will both lose at least one player from MTL or CAR.

The top entry that could enter the finals with 6 players - if Carolina defeats Montreal - is Peter Tanner, currently ranked 59th.

Toni Laronga now leads the pool by three points over Brendan Ash while Dan Greenstein, six back, is pushing to challenge. But all three of them, as with most of the top ten, are going to lose either Vegas or Colorado players, and that could happen sooner than we expected.

Mark Stone and Mitch Marner had two points each for Vegas, who have put Colorado and their 213 Cup picks against the ropes. This threatens most people in the pool as the Avalanche have 73% of possible player picks and half of the Cup picks. Stay tuned but the titan might fall.