Golden Knights – A double-overtime goal from Shea Theodore ended the 2026 Stanley Cup Final’s wild Game 3 in a surreal way, with the puck taking a strange bounce off Carolina’s Jordan Martinook and striking goalie Brandon Bussi’s skate. The Hurricanes forced overtime after era
For Carolina, the pain of the comeback never fully landed—because Vegas found a way to turn the final moments into something almost impossible to remember.
Game 3 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final swung from a brutal third-period hole to a late equalizer. then snapped again in double overtime with a goal that didn’t look like it belonged in a highlight reel. Shea Theodore had the finish for the Vegas Golden Knights. firing a shot from near the blue line that rocketed off the end boards. Jordan Martinook, of the Hurricanes, couldn’t corral it. The puck then struck Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi’s skate and went into the net.
The goal will linger less for beauty than for how cruelly it flipped the game’s final balance. Bussi had been inserted for starter Frederik Andersen to start the third period, with the Hurricanes down 4-0. Carolina’s response was sudden and relentless—erasing that 4-0 deficit in the third. The push included a record three goals in just 39 seconds, and after a late power-play equalizer, the Hurricanes forced overtime.
Even with the momentum shifting, the early damage had been real. Bussi stopped the first 18 shots he faced in the game, but Theodore’s double-overtime effort still found a way through. The bizarre finish gave Vegas a 2-1 series lead.
The sequence left little room for comfort: Carolina clawed back from 4-0 with a furious third-period surge. yet the game still ended with a puck that bounced off skates and boards rather than cleanly over the goal line. One moment belonged to the Hurricanes’ record-setting burst; the next belonged to the Golden Knights’ unlikely closer.
Game 3’s drama now turns into a quick reset. Game 4 of this high-scoring series is set for Tuesday, June 9 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
NHL Stanley Cup Final Golden Knights Hurricanes Shea Theodore Jordan Martinook Brandon Bussi Frederik Andersen double overtime Game 3 June 9 ABC