LAS VEGAS (AP) — Conn Smythe favorite Mitch Marner had a natural hat trick in the second period to help the Vegas Golden Knights build a four-goal lead over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The 4-0 advantage didn't last, with Carolina cutting it 4-3 midway through the third.
Tomas Hertl broke a scoreless tie midway through the second, after Vegas opened the stanza by having two goals overturned by challenges.
Marner’s first goal came when he gathered a loose puck near the boards and fired a backhander into the crease, where Carolina defenseman Sean Walker accidentally deflected the puck past Frederik Andersen.
Less than four minutes later, Marner gracefully deked around Andersen and slipped the puck into the net with relative ease to make it 3-0.
Then, with a little more than three minutes left in the period, the 10-year veteran blasted a shot from the right circle, triggering throngs of hats being thrown on the ice. It was the fastest natural hat trick in Stanley Cup history at 6:10.
“I can’t do it by myself, that’s for sure,” Marner said during a television interview between periods. “All five guys have been on a great page. I’ve liked our line’s play for the last month.”
Marner also assisted on Hertl’s goal. His four points are tied for the most in a single period since 1919.
Marner’s 28 points are the most by any player in NHL history in his first postseason with a new team
The 29-year-old now has 10 goals in 19 playoff games with the Golden Knights. He had 13 goals in 70 playoff games during his nine years with Toronto.
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