Vegas Golden Knights win third NHL Final game in double overtime against Carolina

Vegas had actually already had the game under control: the Golden Knights were already leading 4:0 after the second period, but also gave up a four-goal lead. Mitch Marner laid the foundation for this, scoring the fastest hat trick in an NHL Final within 6:10 minutes. Marner scored his three goals within 6:10 minutes in the second period; no one before him had done it that quickly in a Final game.

Marner's record hat trick in the second period

Marner even collected four scorer points in that period – a feat last achieved in a Final period by Frank Foyston of the Seattle Metropolitans in 1919. Four scorer points in a Final period had last occurred in 1919, when Frank Foyston of the Seattle Metropolitans accomplished this feat.

Carolina struck back in the final period. The visitors then closed the gap in the final stanza with three goals within 39 seconds to 3:4; the goals by Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Staal in the third period to make it 3:4 came within 39 seconds. Never before had a team scored three goals in such a short time in a Stanley Cup Final.

Carolina's historic comeback

Without their own goaltender and with an extra skater, Andrej Svechnikov forced overtime in the 59th minute with the goal to make it 4:4. Andrej Svechnikov then provided the 4:4 and the double overtime, after they had previously given up a 4:0 lead in regulation time.

It was a game of superlatives: it was only the tenth time in NHL history that the first three Final games were decided by just one goal. The last time that happened was in 2016 between Pittsburgh and San Jose. After the dramatic third game, both teams now need a short breather.

Outlook on the fourth game

The series continues in Las Vegas after a two-day break; the fourth game of the series takes place in Las Vegas again on Wednesday night. If Carolina were to win the fourth game, the best-of-seven series would be tied again; otherwise, Vegas could take a big step toward the title with another win.

The game featured a total of five goals in regulation time, three of them in Carolina colors. After the interim 4:0 for the hosts, the preliminary decision seemed to have been made, but the Hurricanes fought their way back into the game with an unprecedented comeback. The 39 seconds in which Carolina scored three times are the shortest span for three goals in a Stanley Cup Final.

The Vegas Golden Knights have thus once again shown that they can find a way to win games even under pressure. In recent years, the team from Nevada has repeatedly proven that it can deliver in decisive moments. For Carolina, it is now a matter of shaking off the disappointment over the squandered comeback and focusing on the fourth game.

This is a news item directly from the dpa news channel, underscoring how balanced and hard-fought this year's Final series is. With the 5:4 victory, Vegas takes over the psychologically important lead, while Carolina is under pressure to perform in the next game.

The question of whether Vegas can carry the momentum from this dramatic victory will be answered as early as Wednesday night. If the fourth game turns out to be equally high-scoring and hard-fought, fans can look forward to another ice hockey spectacle.