Hurricanes score – Vegas looked in full control of Game 3 before Carolina scored three times in 39 seconds of the third period—setting the fastest burst in a Stanley Cup Final—and pulled to 4-3 with about 12 minutes left.
When the Vegas Golden Knights entered the third period, they held a 4-0 lead after two periods of dominance. Then Carolina’s comeback didn’t start gradually—it erupted.
The Hurricanes scored three times in 39 seconds, pulling within one goal at 4-3 with about 12 minutes remaining in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. The streak of three goals in 39 seconds is the fastest ever in a Stanley Cup Final game.
Carolina made a bold move to begin the third period, pulling starting goaltender Frederik Andersen. Brandon Bussi. a regular-season hero for the Hurricanes. took over and immediately swung the momentum—earning his first action of the entire postseason. Bussi stopped Vegas star Mitch Marner on a penalty shot, and the Hurricanes followed that sequence with three unanswered goals.
Jordan Martinook got Carolina’s first goal at 7:02 of the third period. Taylor Hall doubled the lead at 7:29, finishing off a pass from Sebastian Aho. Jordan Staal capped the barrage at 7:42 with a tip-in goal—turning a near-impossible chase into something real for a franchise facing a 2-1 series deficit.
The speed of the collapse mattered because Vegas had not just led—it had been pulling away. The Golden Knights led 4-0 after two periods. Across the first two games, the winning team in each instance had trailed by multiple goals before taking control later.
Carolina’s turnaround also carried the weight of what came immediately before it. In the first four minutes of the second period. the Hurricanes successfully challenged two Vegas goals—ones that otherwise could have made the deficit even more lopsided. Mark Stone’s goal was disallowed for a clear offside that preceded it. and Jack Eichel’s goal was taken away for goalie interference. Ivan Barbashev also hit Andersen in the head as he tried to cross the crease. another reminder of how quickly this game could have spun away.
The disallowed goals didn’t slow Vegas for long.
Soon after the challenge run in the second period. the Golden Knights broke through on a power play after Carolina was called for too many men on the ice. Jack Eichel found Tomas Hertl, who had the game winner in Game 1, alone in front of the net. Then at 9:18 remaining in the second period. Marner fired a backhander toward the net that Carolina defenseman Sean Walker attempted to play. It went off Walker’s stick and into the net.
Less than four minutes later, Andersen stopped Marner on a breakaway. But the Hurricanes couldn’t clear the zone, and the puck found its way back to Marner. This time, Andersen couldn’t stop him a second time.
With 3:09 left in the period, Marner blasted a slap shot past Andersen for his third goal of the evening. Fans tossed hats onto the ice for the hat trick—about the only thing that could delay the Vegas surge.
By the time the second period ended, Vegas led 4-0—and Carolina’s next move, pulling Andersen for Bussi to start the third, set up the most startling swing in the game.
And the series context is where the tension deepens. The Hurricanes successfully challenged two Vegas goals in the first four minutes of the second period—showing they had already been paying attention to small details when everything else seemed to go wrong. Late in Game 2. Vegas had tried to challenge a no-goal call but was unsuccessful. a decision that led to a power play on which Carolina scored. Vegas coach John Tortorella said later he would challenge that call 10 times out of 10. Brind’Amour responded after Game 2 by saying his standard is absolute certainty on challenging goal-or-no-goal calls on the ice.
“When it’s called goal or no goal on the ice, it better be 100% your challenge,” Brind’Amour said. “That’s a rule we go by.”
Through two games of the Stanley Cup Final, there were eight goals by each team. Each team had staged a comeback from two goals down, and each had won a game decided late. Vegas’ 5-4 win in Game 1 drew 4.78 million viewers.
Game 3 added new fuel to that pattern, even as it began in the least promising way for Carolina. The first period of Game 3 was tighter than the early drama in the previous games, with the teams combining for 25 hits—16 by Vegas.
Carolina also entered this game holding a rare kind of confidence: the Hurricanes were 6-0 on the road in the playoffs. They also arrived with a plan for the noise in Las Vegas—knowing what 20,000-plus fans can do to a visiting team.
Before Saturday’s Game 3, Carolina captain Jordan Staal said, “It’s such a fun place to play. They’ve got such a great atmosphere and great vibe.” He added: “It‘s just such a different challenge. obviously. than being at home. But being on the road and given a chance to try to quiet 20,000 people is such a fun challenge.”.
Even with the momentum swing, the Hurricanes were still trying to avoid falling behind 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
In Game 2, Carolina became the first team since 1944 to win a Stanley Cup Final game after trailing by two goals with 10 minutes left in the third period. Game 3, now, offered another impossible-looking stretch.
There were other details shaping the lineup, too. Vegas defenseman Brayden McNab left Game 2 after being hit in the face by a Nikolaj Ehlers shot in the first period and didn’t return; he is in the lineup for the Golden Knights.
Power play production also hung over the final stretch of Game 3. Carolina scored two power play goals late in the Game 3 victory—one from Staal on a deflection in front of the net and the other from Seth Jarvis on a slap shot in overtime. Carolina had been two for its last 24 on the power play and 8-for-60 overall in the playoffs.
Up 4-0 after two periods, Vegas looked ready to put Game 3 away. Then, in a matter of 39 seconds, Carolina’s third-period burst turned the scoreboard into a warning—and left the Knights holding a lead that suddenly felt fragile.
Stanley Cup Final Game 3 Vegas Golden Knights Carolina Hurricanes Frederik Andersen Brandon Bussi Mitch Marner Jordan Martinook Taylor Hall Jordan Staal Sebastian Aho penalty shot
How does a 4-0 lead just evaporate like that?
Wait so they pulled the goalie like immediately?? That’s wild. I didn’t even know the Hurricanes could score that fast, I assumed Vegas was just gonna cruise again.
Frederik Andersen got benched and then it magically worked for Carolina? Kinda feels like a coach move more than “luck” but idk lol. Also they said Marner on a penalty shot but I thought it was Marchessault? Either way Hurricanes momentum!!
Three goals in 39 seconds is insane. I saw one clip and it looked like Vegas defense forgot how to skate. But then again if Vegas was already up 4-0 maybe Carolina had nothing to lose and just went full chaos. Still, pulling the goalie that early and making it work just feels like NHL cheating or something.