As I write this, I am still trying to wrap my mind around what exactly happened in Game 3 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.
In the first period, the Carolina Hurricanes smothered the Vegas Golden Knights , holding them to just two shots on goal – both of which were in the first five minutes. There were 34 hits throughout the frame, with the Golden Knights holding the advantage 22-12.
For Carolina, physically, it was a punishing period. William Carrier left for the locker room early after putting a hit on Jeremy Lauzon due to an upper-body injury . While he later returned for the second period, playing four shifts, he missed his line's final shift of the frame and was ruled out by the opening of the third.
The second period was where things truly heated up as a whole.
Mark Stone and Jack Eichel collected a pair of goals…except they didn't. The Vegas captain's goal was removed from the board following a challenge for offside, which determined that Brett Howden did not have control of the puck upon zone entry. Then, a goaltender interference call put a damper on Eichel's party as Ivan Barbashev had strolled into the head of Frederik Andersen .
Nonetheless, the Golden Knights got up by four goals to conclude the second frame, including a hat-trick for Mitch Marner . Interestingly, Marner's hatty was the fastest scored in Stanley Cup Final history, having done so in just 6:10, surpassing Maurice Richard's 6:21 record he established in 1957. Brutally for the Hurricanes, Marner's first goal of the game was credited off of an own goal by Sean Walker , who had deflected the puck into his own net .
Going into the third period, things looked rough for Carolina, who had dug themselves a four-goal hole.
The Hurricanes' coaching staff had decided to start Brandon Bussi for the third, and it soon proved to be the right decision. Just 4:04 in, he stopped a penalty shot from Marner – and from there, the Hurricanes gained some life.
7:03 into the frame, Jordan Martinook scored the first goal in what became an insane comeback, followed by a goal apiece from Taylor Hall and Jordan Staal , all of which were scored in a record-breaking 39-second span – the fastest trio of goals in Stanley Cup Final history.
Suddenly, the game had flipped on its head, and Carolina was within one to tie the game.
Then, on the power play and with an extra skater on the ice, with only 1:42 left on the clock, the Hurricanes got their game-tying goal thanks to Andrei Svechnikov and the chaos the Golden Knights had caused in their own net. It was a pile-up around goaltender Carter Hart , with Nikolaj Ehlers even having been checked into the net behind Hart. It was a remarkable turn of events and a testament to the Hurricanes' determination, having tied the game despite many already writing them off the moment the second period ended.
Soon, overtime commenced, both sides getting great chances, but ultimately unable to capitalize on anything. Eventually, the second overtime began, and with 5:38 played in it, Vegas got their 5-4 game-winning goal – the insanity of the manner in which it was scored summing up the game as a whole.
From the point, Shea Theodore had launched a slapshot, which missed everything. However, it bounced off the endboards, deflected off of Martinook's stick, then deflected into the skate of Bussi – mid-air, mind you – and into the net.
There ain't no hockey like Stanley Cup Final hockey.
The last time Brandon Bussi played a game was April 14, but you wouldn't have guessed it by the way he played. Logging five more minutes than Andersen in Saturday's contest, he made 18 saves on 19 shots faced, with the only goal against having been one no goalie could have done anything about. Sporting a more athletic and reactive style, he seemed to have been the ideal match against a speedy and highly aggressive Golden Knights team. Andersen has been good, but I would certainly not count out perhaps seeing that Bussi earned the start for Game 4 on Tuesday after the game he put up.
Jackson Blake played in the 31st game of his NHL postseason career, officially surpassing his father, Jason, in postseason career games played (30).
Also Read:: Cardiac Canes! Hurricanes Overcome Multi-Goal Deficit in Game 2 Overtime Thriller
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