Stanley Cup Final Game Three: How it Started, How it Went, and How it Ended

Tonight's Stanley Cup Final recap is brought to you by the letters "S," "M," "F," and "H."

Game One of this year's Stanley Cup Final saw the Carolina Hurricanes start off with two goals off the bat, only for the Vegas Golden Knights to catch up, come back, and win it. Game Two saw the Golden Knights put in two despite barely getting shots, but the Hurricanes came back and ended up winning in overtime. Lost in all of that madness is the fact this Cup Final is knotted at 1-1, and the scene now shifts to Sin City. Las Vegas, which has hosted the last two WrestleManias, plays host to Game Three of this Final--a pivotal Game Three at that.

The first period of this game was too quiet, no scoring in that one. Let's talk about the second period, and one man in particular:

You know what? I'm done saying that Maple Leafs fans owe Mitch Marner an apology, because they won't apologize. They're too stubborn to do it. That's what you gave up. The Golden Knights exploded with a four-goal second period, and this was after two Vegas goals were overturned--one for offsides, another for goalie interference. Both calls were correct, but that didn't stop bratty Vegas fans from chanting, "Ref, you suck!" Seriously, Knights fans, shut up! Refs have handed Vegas so much over the years, but two correct calls against them and they get pissy. Anyway, Tomas Hertl opened things, but Mitch Marner did the rest. He was credited with the first goal because he touched it last before Sean Walker put it in his own net. Marner put it in again later on, and added a third later on. A Natural Hat Trick and he assisted on Hertl's goal. A four-point period; the first by a player in a Cup Final game since 1919! And his hattie was achieved in a span of 6:10, the fastest Hat Trick in Cup Final history. By the way, the previous holder of that record is no one special. Just some guy named Maurice "Rocket" Richard. That's all.

That's who the Leafs gave away. That's who Leafs fans wanted their team to give away. That's who gave the Golden Knights a 4-0 lead after 40 minutes. And that's who will win the Conn Smythe should Vegas win the Cup. Thanks, Leafs. Thanks a lot.

So yeah, the game was done. Or so I thought:

I said, "Carolina's not scoring three in the third again," and this was when it 3-0. When it was 4-0, I was certain that this game was done. Then Jordan Martinook scored. So they won't get shutout. Taylor Hall scores 26 seconds later. So they made the score look better. Jordan Staal scores 13 seconds after that goal. OK, seriously, WTF?! Hurricanes put in three goals in 39 seconds; the fastest three-goal stretch in history. Now we have a game! Canes had to kill some Vegas PPs, but got one of their own with two minutes and change left. Once the power play began, I was shouting, "Pull the goalie, Rod!," because this was a perfect time to get the extra attacker on. Oh, before I forget, Frederik Andersen's night was done. Enter Brandon Bussi, who did well in relief. Bussi was finally pulled for the extra man, allowing Andrei Svechnikov to tie it late!

So the Hurricanes countered Vegas' four-goal second with a four-goal third, and for the second straight game, we had OT. This is the second straight Final to have more than one OT game, and while the period saw some good shots, nothing went in. As a result, this became the second straight Final to have a double OT game. Honestly, it truly looked like the fifth period could go either way, but at 5:38, Shea Theodore fired a shot that went off Jordan Martinook's stick, then off Bussi's left pad, and into the net. Friendly fire strikes again.

The Golden Knights won Game Three, 5-4, in double OT, and they have a 2-1 lead in this Final. The Hurricanes were so close to history. This was the 109th time that a team entered the third period of a Cup Final game down by at least four, but the Canes were one shot away from becoming the first team to win in spite of that. Carolina really started late again, but they nearly got away with it. It's only because of that third period that I do have some confidence in the Hurricanes, but they really need to start on time.

The Golden Knights are two wins away from their second Stanley Cup. All because the Maple Leafs gave away the closest thing they had to Auston Matthews, and they did so in exchange for magic beans--which they traded to the Avalanche for even less. Again: thanks a lot, Leafs.

Game Four is Tuesday in Vegas.

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