Hurricanes’ four-goal comeback bid ends in double overtime, as Golden Knights take Game 3

The Carolina Hurricanes nearly pulled off the most dramatic kind of turnaround in the Stanley Cup Final, then watched it slip away in the second overtime. In Game 3 at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night, the Golden Knights built a 4-0 lead in the second period, only for Carolina to score three goals in 39 seconds late in regulation and then tie it on the power play. The comeback carried into double overtime, where Vegas got the finish it needed, as Shea Theodore’s shot went in at 5:38 of the second overtime for a 5-4 win.

Vegas took control early in the kind of burst that can decide a championship swing. Mitch Marner delivered the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup Final history, scoring three straight goals in a span of 6:10 to help turn a working lead into a four-goal advantage. The surge included a power-play goal from Tomas Hertl, part of a sequence that stretched the Golden Knights to four unanswered goals with 3:08 left in the second period.

Carolina’s response was immediate and, for a stretch, historic. Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Staal scored 39 seconds apart to pull the Hurricanes within one, with Staal capping the rapid run and making it 4-3 at 12:18 remaining. Andrei Svechnikov then tied the game at 18:18, scoring on the power play after Brandon Bussi was pulled for an extra attacker during a scramble in front. Carolina became only the second team in Stanley Cup Final history to erase a four-goal deficit in a game, but it was not enough to complete the comeback.

The late-game path included a key goaltending moment and a special-teams edge. With Carolina trailing and moments slipping toward the decisive end of regulation, the Hurricanes survived a penalty-shot chance by Marner in the third period after Bussi replaced Frederik Andersen to start the frame. Carter Hart made 29 saves for Vegas, while Andersen allowed four goals on 16 shots and Bussi finished with 18 saves on 19 shots.

In the end, the finishing detail was stark. Theodore’s one-timer from the right point hit the end boards and found the net off Bussi’s skate, ending a game that seemed to change character every few minutes. Vegas coach John Tortorella emphasized how quickly the team had to move past the blown lead and reset for overtime, treating the situation as a breath-and-execute moment rather than something to linger on.

For the Hurricanes, the immediate lesson was just as clear, even if the effort felt season-defining. Rod Brind’Amour summed up the mindset without flinching about the outcome, saying, “You get no moral victories at this time of year, it’s irrelevant to be honest.” In other words, the comeback mattered as proof of fight, but the four-goal gap was a preventable hole that cannot be repeated if Carolina is going to keep its title picture alive.

Vegas now holds a 2-1 series advantage in the best-of-seven matchup, a position it gained by surviving Carolina’s greatest threat in Game 3. Game 4 is set for Tuesday night, and the early storyline will be whether the Golden Knights can close with the same composure they needed in double overtime, or whether the Hurricanes can force another late-run after demonstrating they can still find scoring in waves. For Carolina, the next question is practical, how to prevent the early collapse that made the comeback necessary in the first place. For Vegas, it is about game management, protecting the margins even when the other team’s momentum starts to look unstoppable.

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