Stanley Cup Final: Game 3 Was Off The Wall

LAS VEGAS – Mitch Marner, this is your moment. 

Pilloried for years as a playoff non-entity in Toronto, Marner has found Conn Smythe form with the Vegas Golden Knights and led his new squad to a 2-1 series lead with a masterful second period in what ended as a 5-4 Vegas victory in double overtime. 

Marner tallied a natural hat trick in the span of six minutes and 10 seconds, breaking the Stanley Cup final record for fastest three goals, previously held by Rocket Richard in 1957. 

But while the game appeared over after that explosive second period, the Carolina Hurricanes put a scare in the Golden Knights with a remarkable comeback in the third.

In the end, it was a weird one from Shea Theodore that bounced off the backboards and off goalie Brandon Bussi that won it for Vegas.

After a rather drab first period, the second frame was nothing but fireworks. 

The Golden Knights thought they had scored early when Mark Stone was sent in by Brett Howden, but Carolina challenged that Howden was offside – and indeed he was. Less than four minutes later, Jack Eichel found a loose puck near the crease and popped one past Frederik Andersen, but Carolina challenged once again – this time for goalie interference. In what was probably the fastest review in NHL history, that goal was waved off for goalie interference, as Ivan Barbashev had clearly bodied Andersen in the head as he skated past the crease.

After that, the floodgates opened for Vegas. 

Carolina took a too-many-men penalty midway through the period, and Tomas Hertl made them pay almost immediately. 

Hertl, left alone in front of the net, pumped one in off a Jack Eichel feed from behind the net, and the Golden Knights were finally, officially, on the board.

Sixteen seconds later, Marner got credit for his first goal of the evening when he threw a backhand toward the Carolina net that was inadvertently directed in by Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker.

Thus began The Marner Show.

The skilled right winger struck again four minutes later, taking a pass from Brayden McNabb and burying a beauty backhand on Andersen. Two minutes after that, Hertl sent Marner in on a breakaway, where Marner blasted a slapshot past his former Maple Leafs teammate.

At this point, Carolina looked dead in the water. Vegas was constantly getting behind the Canes' vaunted defense, and the Golden Knights went from two shots in the first period to 12 in the second.

Brandon Bussi replaced Andersen in the Carolina net to begin the third period, and he had to make a couple of big saves early, including on a penalty shot after Marner was hacked down by Sebastian Aho on a shorthanded breakaway.

Then things got squirrelly for Vegas.

Jordan Martinook got the Canes on the board after sliding a puck under Carter Hart from in close.

Seconds later, Taylor Hall made it 4-2 after McNabb bobbled the puck, leading to an Aho steal and setup for Carolina.

Seconds after that, Jordan Staal tipped a Jaccob Slavin point shot past Hart, and suddenly the Vegas lead was only 4-3.

Carolina had scored three goals in 39 seconds – another Stanley Cup final record.

Things calmed down from there until Shea Theodore took a late puck-over-the-glass penalty for Vegas. Carolina eventually pulled Bussi to go 6-on-4, and almost immediately after, Andrei Svechnikov managed to push the puck into the net as Seth Jarvis was launched into the net by Nic Dowd.

The Hurricanes became the second team in Stanley Cup final history to erase a four-goal deficit. The last time happened in 1972.

The first overtime period solved nothing, and both teams looked gassed, but Theodore broke the deadlock in double-OT, sending the crowd into hysterics.

Game 3 was bonkers. There will be two days to recover before Game 4 goes down on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.

More to come, including post-game reaction.

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