Marner scores fastest hat trick in Cup Final history, helps Vegas to Game 3 win

LAS VEGAS — It was 370 seconds of domination unlike any other seen before in a Stanley Cup Final, courtesy of Mitch Marner.

The Vegas Golden Knights forward scored the fastest hat trick in Final history in the second period of his team’s 5-4 double overtime victory against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the 2026 edition Saturday, helping his team to a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

The 29-year-old exploded for three goals in the span of 6:10, eclipsing the previous mark of 6:21 set by the legendary Maurice (Rocket) Richard of the Montreal Canadiens 69 years earlier.

The same Rocket Richard who is in the Hall of Fame.

The same Rocket Richard whose name is used for the trophy given to the NHL player who leads the League in goals during the regular season.

Any time you break one of the Rocket’s records, it’s impressive.

Much like Marner’s play has been, both Saturday and, for that matter, throughout this postseason.

“I thought our line actually played a really good game throughout all three periods — all five, actually,” Marner said, deflecting credit to linemates William Karlsson and Brett Howden. “I thought we did a really good job of advancing pucks, winning battles down low, making plays. I thought we had good looks from all three of us. 

“So, yeah, I got put in good areas by my teammates and I was happy enough to finish them off.”

So too were his teammates, who were gushing at Marner’s performance in the second period that also included a fourth point, that coming on an assist on Tomas Hertl’s goal that opened the scoring at 10:26.

In the process he became the first NHL player with four points (three goals, one assist) in a period in the Final. The only other player with four points in a period during the Final was Frank Foyston of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association’s Seattle Metropolitans in the first period of Game 3 in the 1919 Final (three goals, one assist) against the Montreal Canadiens.

“It was incredible,” Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel said. “He’s been doing it all playoffs for us. Just pretty special, right?

“He was pretty incredible the whole game. He’s on another level right now. So much credit to him. He’s been playing incredible so that was awesome to watch. 

“Tons of credit to him and (Karlsson) and (Howden).”

Marner leads all players in postseason scoring with 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists), eight ahead of Eichel and 11 in front of Howden and Carolina’s Taylor Hall. It’s the most by a Golden Knights player in a single postseason, two more than Eichel had in 2023, when Vegas won the Stanley Cup.

“Unreal performance tonight,” defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “So happy for him. What a player. 

“He just took the game over. It’s so much fun to see. Spectacular, really. So we’re just lucky to have him.”

On this special night, there were a number of other milestones Marner reached.

— He became only the seventh player in NHL history to score a natural hat trick in the Stanley Cup Final. The others: Sam Reinhart (Game 6, 2025); Gordie Howe (Game 5, 1955); Ted Lindsay (Game 2, 1955), Sid Smith (Game 2, 1949), Maurice Richard (Game 2, 1944), and Newsy Lalonde (Game 2, 1919). 

— Marner, with 28 points, surpassed Frank Mahovlich (27 points; 14 goals, 13 assists with Montreal, 1971) for the most playoff points by a player during his first season with a franchise, having come over in a sign-and-trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1.

— He became the first Vegas player to record multiple four-point games in a playoff year.

— He matched the fourth-most points by a player through the first three games of a Stanley Cup Final with seven, trailing only Foyston (nine in 1919), Alf Skinner (eight in 1918) and Wayne Gretzky (eight in 1988). 

Ironically, after all that, his missed penalty shot in the third period almost proved to be the turning point in the game. Somehow he did not realize the Hurricanes had changed goalies, putting in Brandon Bussi for Frederik Andersen.

Keep in mind that Bussi catches right-handed, Andersen left-handed.

“On the penalty shot, I was pretty exhausted,” he said. “Saying that, I did not notice they switched their goalie. And I didn’t notice he’s offhanded as well.”

After that, Carolina scored four times in the remainder of the period, tying the game at 4-4 and forcing overtime. 

In the end, Shea Theodore’s winner in the second overtime saved the day for Vegas.

But they wouldn’t have even gotten there if not for Marner’s record night.