Golden Knights Edge Hurricanes in Double OT Thriller After Near Historic Collapse

A four-goal lead in what has been a wacky, compelling, and highly entertaining Stanley Cup Final nearly slipped through the fingers of the Golden Knights on Saturday night. The Hurricanes, trailing by four goals, staged a remarkable comeback that sent shockwaves through T-Mobile Arena and almost made NHL history.

In a dramatic finish befitting the chaos of the game, Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore fired a shot that deflected off the skate of Brandon Bussi, the backup goalie who hadn’t played in two months. The puck slid into the net at 5:38 of double overtime, sealing a 5-4 victory for the Golden Knights over the Carolina Hurricanes.

Golden Knights coach John Tortorella reflected on the game, stating, “I have experienced a lot of games in playoffs. I haven’t experienced one like this.” The night also featured a standout performance from Mitch Marner, who not only recorded a four-point night but also achieved the fastest hat trick in Cup Final history.

With this win, the Golden Knights take a 2-1 lead in the series, as the teams prepare for Game 4 on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. Historically, teams that lead a series 2-1 have gone on to win the Cup 46 out of 57 times, translating to an 80.7% success rate.

Carolina, who had been undefeated in overtime during this postseason, sought to become the first team to win after trailing by at least four goals in the third period. However, teams in that situation now fall to 0-109, a statistic that adds to the weight of their near comeback.

Theodore commented on the team’s performance, saying, “We just left our foot off the gas. I think we have to be sharper in the third, but I liked the resiliency out of our group. I liked the way we started that second overtime, and I felt like we were more on our toes.”

This game marked the 10th time that the first three games of a Cup Final were decided by a single point, a rarity last seen in 2016 between Pittsburgh and San Jose. The Golden Knights appeared to have control after scoring four goals in the second period, highlighted by Marner’s natural hat trick.

However, the Hurricanes responded with a flurry of goals from Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Staal, who scored in a blistering 39 seconds—setting a record for the fastest three goals in a Cup Final game. Andrei Svechnikov later tied the game with a power-play goal, forcing overtime with just 1:42 remaining.

Martinook expressed his frustration, noting, “I love that we feel like we can come back from anything, but you can’t put yourself in a hole like we did. The second period, for them to come out like that and take total control of the game, it’s something that can’t happen, especially this time.”

Marner’s scoring spree unfolded over a significant 6:10 stretch of the second period, where he contributed four points. He also provided a secondary assist on Tomas Hertl’s goal midway through the period, a feat not accomplished since 1919.

Despite opportunities to extend his point total, Marner missed a breakaway and a penalty shot in the third period, which would prove costly for the Golden Knights. The Hurricanes’ comeback was aided by a goalie change to Bussi, who made 18 saves after replacing Frederik Andersen, who had allowed four goals on 16 shots. Carolina also played without forward William Carrier, who suffered an upper-body injury in the second period.

Vegas’ Carter Hart was solid in net, stopping 29 shots and helping to secure the Golden Knights’ thrilling win.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.