Rod Brind'Amour takes a direct shot at John Tortorella before game 6 in Vegas

Rod Brind'Amour just had a little fun at John Tortorella's expense, and he can afford to, with the Hurricanes one win from the Stanley Cup.

Reporter Jonny Lazarus asked Brind'Amour about having former Canes teammates along for the ride and whether he's hard to reach this time of year.

Brind'Amour's answer carried a knowing grin.

"Depends who you are, and I love that question by the way."

That last bit was the punchline. Days earlier, Tortorella had snapped at Lazarus that his Carter Hart question might be the stupidest he'd ever heard.

So Brind'Amour flipped it, calling Lazarus's question great. As Lazarus put it, he knew exactly what he was doing.

The two coaches are living in different emotional worlds right now, and the quote captures it perfectly.

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Carolina can clinch the Cup on Sunday in Vegas

Here's the table for Sunday. Carolina leads the series 3-2, with Game 6 in Vegas. Win it, and the Hurricanes lift the Cup while ending the Golden Knights' season.

That's why Brind'Amour can joke. A coach up 3-2 gets to be loose. A coach trailing swats at reporters.

Vegas, meanwhile, is reeling. The Golden Knights dropped Game 5 and are likely without William Karlsson, who Tortorella said probably won't return after the hit from Sean Walker.

The goalie question still hovers too. Tortorella's snap was about Carter Hart, and the Hart-or-Hill debate follows Vegas into a game it has to win.

Brind'Amour's calm is earned. Carolina has been the better team through five games, and his playful jab is the sound of a bench boss who can smell it.

Here's my read: the demeanor gap is the story before puck drop. Teams that smell a Cup tend to close. Cornered teams either rise to the moment or crack under it.

Don't bury Vegas yet, though. A desperate team at home with its season on the line is the most dangerous kind, and one win forces Game 7.

So it comes down to Sunday in Vegas. Carolina skates for the Cup. The Golden Knights skate for their lives.

Brind'Amour's wink looks brilliant or premature depending on the next 60 minutes. He's betting it's brilliant.

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