Vegas spoils Hurricanes’ historic comeback as Golden Knights escape in second OT
In a game that saw long-standing NHL records fall, a hat trick, a saved penalty shot, and a near-record comeback, it was an awkward carom off an end wall that ended the 19th-longest Stanley Cup Final game in NHL history.
Shea Theodore — whose penalty in the third period allowed the Carolina Hurricanes to tie the game and send it to overtime — fired a shot on goal that missed, bounced hard off the boards behind Canes’ goalie Brandon Bussi and then off the prone goalie and into the net, lifting Vegas to a 5-4 win at 5:38 of the second overtime of Game 3.
“It’s kind of like the first game, where we made too many not-smart plays,” Hurricanes Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour said.
“It’s hard enough, you’ve got to make sure you’re doing it right if you want to win.”
The Vegas Golden Knights had printed a likeness of forward Mitch Marner on their rally towels for their first home game of the Stanley Cup Final.
That turned out to be a great choice. The crafty forward had a historic natural hat trick and helped the Knights to a four-goal lead in the second period that appeared safe.
But the Hurricanes resiliently fought back, scoring three goals in 39 seconds in the third period and then tying the score 4-4 on Andrei Svechnikov’s power-play goal with 1:42 left in regulation.
Game 4 of the Cup Final will be played Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena, and after the first three, anything could — and possibly will — happen.
It has been that wild, that unpredictable, that close.
Svechnikov’s fourth goal of the playoffs came after Vegas was called for delay of game as defenseman Shea Theodore put a puck over the glass. The Canes then pulled goalie Bussi — yes, Bussi — for a sixth attacker, jammed the net and Svechnikov punched it in.
“On a power play, two minutes left, you just try to put the puck on the net,” Svechnikov said. “I just got the puck on the net.”
Bussi made his first career NHL playoff appearance after Frederik Andersen started the first 16 games, but was pulled after the second period in Game 3. Bussi almost immediately had to face a Marner penalty shot after the Vegas star was slashed on a shorthanded breakaway early in the third.
He made the stop, sliding to his glove-hand side.
Golden Knights lose shine in third
The Golden Knights saw a 4-0 lead evaporate quickly in the third period as the Canes struck three times in 39 seconds. Goals by Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall and Jordan Staal made it a one-goal game — and made NHL history.
The Canes’ three-goal surge was the fastest by a team in a Cup Final game, breaking a 72-year-old record held by the 1954 Montreal Canadiens.
The Canes killed off a Seth Jarvis penalty for delay of game and continued to attack in the last six minutes of regulation. That resulted in Theodore’s penalty, the Svechnikov goal and then overtime.
“We never give up on anything, that’s kind of our identity,” Svechnikov said.
Hurricanes falter in the second
After having two goals waved off after a coach’s challenge early in the second period, the Knights took advantage of a pair of self-inflicted wounds by the Canes for a 2-0 lead, then doubled it as Marner’s hat trick thrusted him well into the lead among possible Conn Smythe Trophy candidates for playoff MVP.
Marner’s natural hat trick, which took 6:10, is the fastest in a Cup Final game.
Carolina took the first penalty of the game for too many men on the ice and Vegas needed 10 seconds to score as Jack Eichel controlled the puck behind the net and set up Tomas Hertl in the low slot for a shot and score.
Then, it was Marner time.
Marner’s first goal came after he tried to backhand a cross-ice pass, only to have the puck glance off the stick of Canes defenseman Sean Walker in front of the net.
Denied on a breakaway, Marner then took advantage of a turnover, beating Andersen with a slick move, faking the forehand and going backhand.
Marner’s third came when he slipped behind Canes defenseman Alexander Nikishin after a Nikishin shot. Marner took a breakout pass, skated down the wing and simply let loose a shot from the top of the right circle that Andersen could not stop.
“We feel like we can come back from anything, but we can’t put ourselves in a hole the way we did,” Martinook said. “The second period for them to come out like that and take total control of the game is something that can’t happen, especially this time of year.”
Canes challenge the system
After a scoreless first period that had Vegas credited with two shots, the Knights had the arena roaring 34 seconds into second when Mark Stone took a pass from Brett Howden in the Canes’ zone and walked in to beat Andersen.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour challenged the goal, and Howden was ruled offside before the pass, disallowing the goal.
Minutes later, Knights fans were again incensed when Vegas crashed the net and appeared to score. But there was contact with Andersen in the crease — Ivan Barbashev hitting Andersen in the head as Andersen tried to play the puck — and again the goal was waved off for goaltender interference.
Andersen dropped his stick and was face-down for several seconds before popping back up.
Barbashev was involved in the goaltender interference call in Game 2 that inflamed the Knights faithful and Vegas coach John Tortorella, as well. That wiped out a goal late in the third period – Tortorella making an unsuccessful challenge.
Tight-checking first
The Golden Knights spent most of the first period getting in their checks, playing the body, hitting anybody and everybody and playing a wear-and-tear type of game. Vegas was credited with 16 hits in the period, ratcheting up the physicality.
One thing the Knights did not do in the first was get shots on goal. Only two, and none in the last 15:14 of the period as the Canes constantly got sticks on pucks in the D-zone,
The Canes had good possession time and a few good looks in the opening period. Andrei Svechnikov was set up for an open chance in the slot but defenseman Noah Hanifin stepped in for the block. Later in the period, first Jarvis and then defenseman K’Andre Miller tested Hart on drives to the net but were stopped.
Injury update
- Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb, hit in the face by a shot in Game 2, was back in the lineup Saturday for Game 3.
- In a game filled with big hits, the Canes had forward Will Carrier leave the game with an upper-body injury and not return.
The Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights are at it again in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Vegas spoils Hurricanes’ historic comeback as Golden Knights escape in second OT."
