Golden Knights Edge Hurricanes 5-4 in Double OT as Carolina Erases 4-0 Deficit in Game 3

The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 in double overtime in Game 3 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final on June 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Shea Theodore scored the game-winning goal at 5:38 of the second overtime period. The Golden Knights led the series 2-1 after the victory.

Vegas held a 4-0 lead entering the third period. Carolina responded with four consecutive goals, three of them 39 seconds apart, to tie the score at 4-4. Taylor Hall, Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook scored for the Hurricanes in the third period.

Andrei Svechnikov added a goal on a six-on-four power play with 1:42 remaining in regulation to force overtime. Mitch Marner scored a hat trick for Vegas over a 6:10 stretch in the second period and finished the game with four points. He has 28 points in the 2026 NHL postseason.

Marner failed to convert on a breakaway and a penalty shot in the third period. Frederik Andersen was replaced by backup goaltender Brandon Bussi after the second period. Carolina succeeded on two replay challenges in the second period that negated two Vegas goals.

"At that point, you are just trying to get anything to the net and hope you get a bounce. And luckily, we got one," Shea Theodore said after the game. "We just left our foot off the gas. I think we have to be sharper in the third [period], 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," Theodore said. John Tortorella said, "I thought they made the right calls tonight. The one the other night was wrong.

Carolina had been 6-0 in overtime this postseason prior to Game 3. Clubs trailing by at least four goals in the third period of a Stanley Cup Final game are now 0-109. This was the 10th time that the first three games of a Stanley Cup Final were decided by one goal.

The last time was in 2016 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks. The last time a player had four points in a period of the Stanley Cup Final prior to Marner was in 1919 by Frank Foyston of the Seattle Metropolitans. Teams that take a 2-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final have gone on to win the Cup 46 of 57 times.

The Carolina Hurricanes finished the 2025-26 regular season with a 53-22-7 record and 113 points. The Vegas Golden Knights finished with a 39-26-17 record and 95 points. The Vegas Golden Knights are seeking their second Stanley Cup title in franchise history.

The Carolina Hurricanes are seeking their first Stanley Cup title since 2006. Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday night in Las Vegas.