In a game for the ages, the Vegas Golden Knights blew a 4-0 lead in the third period but recovered in double overtime with a 5-4 win against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
In one of the best games in NHL history, the Golden Knights scored four goals in the second period thanks to a four-point effort by Mitch Marner, who recorded his second hat trick of the postseason. However, Carolina mounted a ferocious four-goal comeback in the third, scoring three goals in just 39 seconds and tying the game on the power play with 1:42 remaining. It took an extra 25:38 of hockey, but Shea Theodore’s game-winner in double overtime saved the Golden Knights from a historic defeat.
As a result, Vegas now leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.
Brayden McNabb was in the lineup for Game 3 despite taking an 87 mph slapshot to the face in the first period of Game 2. He wore a full shield but was a stabilizing force on the blue line and played 35:47, which trailed only Theodore (39:09).
In a scoreless opening frame, the Golden Knights were outshot 7-2. Vegas looked sloppy and didn’t have a shot in the final 15:14 of the frame. Carter Hart made a few key saves, including one on Seth Jarvis, who looked revitalized early after netting the game-winner in overtime of Game 2.
But the Golden Knights got off to a much better start in the second period, scoring not once but twice in the first four minutes. However, both goals were taken off the board following successful challenges by Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour.
The first was a breakaway goal by Mark Stone less than two minutes in, but Brett Howden was offside when he set up the Vegas captain from the boards.
The second would have been Jack Eichel’s third of the playoffs, but Ivan Barbashev made contact with Frederik Andersen’s head in the crease, thus negating the tally due to goaltender interference.
Vegas got the first power play of the night with 9:44 remaining in the second period when Carolina was called for too many men.
The third Vegas goal of the frame would not be overturned, however, as Eichel found Tomas Hertl in front for his fifth of the playoffs. It was the Golden Knights’ first power-play goal of the series, and it came just 10 seconds into the man-advantage.
Sixteen seconds later, the Golden Knights made it 2-0 on an own goal by Carolina defenseman Sean Walker. Marner sent a backhand shot towards the net, and Walker tipped it into his own cage.
Not long after, Marner got two breakaways. Andersen stopped him on the first, but Marner would not be denied on the second after collecting an excellent pass from McNabb. Marner’s second goal and third point of the period set a franchise record for most points in a single postseason with 27, and it made it a 3-0 game with 5:28 remaining in the second.
But the playoff leader in scoring wasn’t finished. Once again, Marner found open ice and beat Andersen for the third time in the period with a deep slapshot, completing the hat trick and giving Vegas a commanding 4-0 lead late in the second period.
The natural hat trick was completed in the span of six minutes and 10 seconds, making it the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup Final history.
The Golden Knights lit the lamp six times in the second period. Even after having two called back, the Golden Knights never sat back, and they overwhelmed Carolina in a dominant 20 minutes, outshooting the road team 14-5. Vegas had been excellent in the second period in this series, and Game 3 was no exception.
Though the Golden Knights delivered in the second period, they still had 20 minutes to go before any of it counted.
Brandon Bussi made his playoff debut in net for Carolina to start the third period in place of Andersen.
Vegas continued to push the pace, with an excellent shift by the second line and another partial breakaway, which led to a Stone slapshot bid turned aside by Bussi in the opening minutes.
The Hurricanes got their first power play of the night 3:15 in when Cole Smith was called for holding Shayne Gostisbehere’s stick.
But a Gostisbehere turnover at the blue line set up a Marner breakaway. Sebastian Aho got back to slash Marner’s stick, leading to a penalty shot, which Bussi stopped.
The Vegas penalty kill looked much calmer with McNabb in the mix, and the Golden Knights killed off the power play.
But the Hurricanes got themselves right back in the game when they scored three goals in under a minute.
Carolina broke Hart’s shutout streak when Jordan Martinook scored at 7:03 of the third. A turnover behind the net led to a chance in front, and Martinook beat Hart under the pad.
Then, McNabb failed to corral a bouncing puck in the defensive end, and Aho sent a cross-ice feed to set up Taylor Hall’s sixth of the playoffs.
Tortorella did not call timeout, and the Hurricanes scored 13 seconds later. A tip by Jordan Staal beat Hart, giving the Hurricanes three goals in the span of just 39 seconds, the fastest three goals by one team in Stanley Cup Final history.
Staal’s third of the series made it a one-goal game with 12:18 remaining. Carolina scored three goals on three consecutive shots in the third period for the second game in a row.
Smith and Pavel Dorofeyev found themselves in alone, with Dorofeyev parked right in front, but Smith didn’t see him and instead fired a bad-angle shot, which Bussi denied.
Vegas got its second power play of the night with 7:53 remaining when Jarvis was called for delay of game. Tortorella put Theodore on the ice instead of Hertl as a precaution, though it changed the dynamic of the top unit, which was unable to do much.
Vegas had a few grade-A looks, but Bussi had an answer for all of them.
But a Theodore clearing attempt went over the Carolina bench and out of play, leading to a delay-of-game penalty with 2:55 remaining. Carolina pulled Bussi midway through the man-advantage and officially erased the four-goal deficit when Andrei Svechnikov scored with 1:42 left in the period.
The puck looked to be frozen before Nikolaj Ehlers ended up in the net. Svechnikov stabbed at the puck, poking it into the cage. Nic Dowd was responsible for Ehlers going into Hart, which negated any interference call. Tortorella did not challenge the play, making it a 4-4 game.
It was the second consecutive game with a game-tying goal in the final two minutes of the third period, and it was the second game in a row in which Vegas blew a multi-goal lead in the third period.
It was a disastrous third period for the Golden Knights, as the Hurricanes stormed back from 4-0 to force overtime.
The first overtime period was intense, with both sides getting dangerous looks. Carolina was the better team early, but Vegas had a stretch with the better play. Hart made a few huge saves, and Bussi stopped William Karlsson late. However, neither team was able to break through, setting up double overtime.
Through 40 minutes, Bussi had 1.91 goals saved above expected, per Money Puck.
The referees put the whistles away in extra time, letting several things go. Most glaringly, Bussi covered the puck in the trapezoid, which should have been a penalty.
But it didn’t matter in the end, as Vegas finally beat Bussi 5:38 into double overtime to put an end to what could have been the worst collapse in Stanley Cup Final history.
It was Theodore with the game-winner, as the Vegas rearguard sent a shot from the blue line that hit the back boards and banked into the net off Bussi’s skate. Goals in double overtime are often of the fluky variety, and this was no different. But Theodore found twine, lifting the Golden Knights to the much-needed 5-4 victory.
Like Marner’s first goal, Theodore’s game-winner proved that it’s never a bad play to get the puck to the net, especially against such a strong possession team. It was Theodore’s six of the playoffs, which leads all defensemen.
All three games of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final have been insane, but Game 3 takes the cake. It will go down as one of the best games in NHL history. It was a historic battle, but it was one the Golden Knights absolutely had to win.
That was true coming into the game given how Carolina won Game 2, and it was even more true after blowing a 4-0 lead in the third period.
It wasn’t pretty, but the Golden Knights did what they had to do and found a way to win.
The Hurricanes deserve a ton of credit, though. They could have given up at 4-0. They didn’t. They put their heads down, went to work and started grinding. They stuck to their game plan, got Vegas on its heels and held their foot down on the gas.
The Golden Knights didn’t know what hit them, and they didn’t have a chance to collect themselves. That’s largely because Tortorella did not use a timeout. It was the second game in a row in which a timeout would have been very effective and could have prevented Carolina’s comebacks. There’s no guarantee, but at 4-2, it was another very questionable call by Tortorella.
The equalizer was an unfortunate play, but Theodore took an unnecessary penalty, and the Golden Knights failed to clear. Sebastian Aho made a great keep at the blue line right before the goal.
Getting pucks out cleanly (or not) was a struggle all night for Vegas, and it fed into Carolina’s relentless high-pressure system. The Golden Knights made a lot of mistakes, and some of them proved costly.
They were unable to stop the bleeding in a critical third period, even after blowing a 2-0 lead in the third period of Game 2.
Marner’s penalty shot would have made it 5-0, and the Golden Knights had a number of high-danger chances in the third period. Bussi played extremely well, but even though he hadn’t played in two months, he was coming off a remarkable regular season. At 4-0, the pressure wasn’t astronomical, but he stepped up admirably, giving his team a chance to get back in the game and eventually tie it.
The Golden Knights also played a key role in Carolina’s rally, however.
Vegas had trouble stopping the bleeding this season. It appeared as though it was an issue Vegas had cleaned up under Tortorella, but the last two games have proven otherwise. The third period of Game 3 was inexcusable, and the Golden Knights are fortunate to have survived it.
Though Hart made some key saves in overtime, this was the second game in a row in which he had a shutout going into the third period and then gave up three goals on three consecutive shots. He finished the game with 29 saves on 33 shots for an .879 save percentage. Andersen stopped 12 of 16 (.750), while Bussi turned aside 18 of 19 (.947).
Noah Hanifin was injured during the second period and missed long stretches of the game. Though he finished with 20:53 in the end, he was not leaned on as heavily as he otherwise would have been. The upcoming two days off will be key for him and for the rest of the Golden Knights, many of whom are nursing injuries.
Carolina’s comeback overshadowed Vegas’ electric second period. Marner had a masterful performance in the second period, but the Golden Knights weren’t able to make the four-goal lead stick. That’s concerning moving forward since the Golden Knights fell apart in the third period in two straight games, but it’s something they will have to address ahead of Game 4.
Another area of focus needs to be faceoffs, as Vegas only won 40.7 percent of draws.
Prior to this run, Marner had 13 goals in 70 career postseason games. He now has 10 in 19. Though Howden may have emerged as Vegas’ leading candidate for the Conn Smythe through the first two games, Marner’s second period put him ahead of the pack. His performance may have been overshadowed by Carolina’s comeback, but he has been a key player for the Golden Knights throughout the playoffs, and Vegas will need that to continue moving forward.
The historic series will pick up for Game 4 on Tuesday night.
Statistics courtesy of Money Puck.
Photo via @GoldenKnights on X