Svechnikov scores – Andrei Svechnikov scored with 1:42 left on a six-on-four power play to complete Carolina’s four-goal comeback and force overtime against the Vegas Golden Knights at 4-4 in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.
LAS VEGAS — Andrei Svechnikov jammed a puck in on a six-on-four power play with 1:42 left, turning a collapsing game into a sudden-death moment.
Just like that, the Carolina Hurricanes completed a furious four-goal comeback and forced overtime at 4-4 against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.
It ended up being the kind of swing the sport doesn’t like to hand out. Teams that trail by at least four goals in a Cup Final game are 0-108. Now Carolina gets its turn at sudden death, with a real chance to become the first to pull off the feat.
Vegas had looked in control after scoring four times in the second period, including a natural hat trick by Mitch Marner. The Golden Knights’ lead didn’t just feel comfortable. It looked sealed—until Carolina’s turnaround began.
Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall and Jordan Staal scored for the Hurricanes, their goals coming 39 seconds apart. Those strikes are the fastest sequence of three goals in a Cup Final game. What had seemed like a party atmosphere for Vegas became a white-knuckle chase.
Marner’s outburst powered the Golden Knights through a 6:10 stretch of the second period, and he finished with four points in that frame. He also had the secondary assist on Tomas Hertl’s goal midway through the period.
Still, the second period belonged to both teams at once—Vegas with the burst, Carolina with the response. Marner scored the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup Final history, and the momentum he created was immediate. The Golden Knights led 4-3 and were able to hold off the first rush of Carolina’s rally. but the comeback wasn’t finished.
In the third, Carolina made the break with a goalie change. The Hurricanes went with Brandon Bussi, who made all nine saves. Frederik Andersen had surrendered those four goals on 16 shots.
Vegas’ goalie was Carter Hart, who made 19 saves on 23 shots.
Even with the late surge, the game never stopped challenging the Golden Knights at the exact moments they thought they had the lead. Early in the second period, Vegas twice believed it had scored, only for the Hurricanes to successfully challenge both goals and keep the game scoreless.
Mark Stone’s goal from the slot at 36 seconds into the period was overturned after a video review determined that Brett Howden was offside. Another review erased Jack Eichel’s rebound goal four minutes later, when Rasmus Andersson was called for goalie interference.
Those reviews mattered because the series has already shown how quickly outcomes can flip.
This wasn’t the first time the Golden Knights felt the floor shift under them. In Game 2 on Thursday night, an unsuccessful video challenge by Vegas coach John Tortorella led to a power-play goal by Jordan Staal. Staal’s goal was part of what allowed Carolina to rally and win 4-3 in overtime.
The series now sits 1-1. Teams that take a 2-1 series lead in the final have gone on to win the Cup 46 of 57 times, or 80.7%.
Still, Saturday night’s Game 3 added another layer of tension. Vegas received a major boost when defenseman Brayden McNabb took the ice. McNabb had taken a puck in the face in the first period on Thursday night in Carolina and did not return to the game. He had a cage to protect his face, and he was on the first defensive pair with Shea Theodore. Golden Knights captain Mark Stone said on the ABC broadcast. “I wish I could say it’s shocking. but it’s not. Just the way he comes to the rink every day, it’s like nothing happened. He’s one of a kind. They don’t make them like that anymore, that’s for sure.”.
Carolina’s comeback set up a simple question for the extra period: if Vegas thought it had this game. what happens when the Hurricanes keep finding time?. Teams have already proven in this series that leads can vanish fast. Each team blew two-goal leads in the first two games—Vegas in the opener. Carolina in Game 2. where the Hurricanes won in overtime.
Stanley Cup Final Hurricanes vs Golden Knights Andrei Svechnikov Mitch Marner Brandon Bussi Frederik Andersen Carter Hart Jordan Staal Jordan Martinook Taylor Hall overtime Game 3