"Simply Gutted": 2025-26 Postseason Round 4, Game 3: Carolina Hurricanes at Vegas Golden Knights

We have a new series on our hands, and the Carolina Hurricanes must be feeling very good about that. After generating next to nothing for 50 minutes, the Canes found a little life in the series, scoring three straight goals, giving up the tying goal late in regulation, and winning it in overtime to even the series at 1-1 with Vegas. With both games in Raleigh behind them, it was time to take the trip to Las Vegas to begin the next miniature segment. The Golden Knights, despite the loss on Thursday, have to feel pretty good about their spot as well. Home ice is now in their favor after winning Game 1, giving them a chance to use the crowd and the last change to their advantage. Carolina has been perfect on the road thus far this postseason, so there's a little bit of confidence joining them as they try to get ahead in the series for the first time.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

None

2nd Period

VGK (10:26-PP)- Tomas Hertl (5) (Jack Eichel (18) & Mitch Marner (18))

VGK (10:42)- Mitch Marner (8) (William Karlsson (5) & Shea Theodore (10)

VGK (14:32)- Mitch Marner (9) (Brayden McNabb (7))

VGK (16:52)- Mitch Marner (10) (Tomas Hertl (8))

3rd Period

CAR (7:03)- Jordan Martinook (2) (Seth Jarvis (6) & Logan Stankoven (4))

CAR (7:29)- Taylor Hall (6) (Sebastian Aho (5) & Jackson Blake (11))

CAR (7:42)- Jordan Staal (5) (Jaccob Slavin (4) & Eric Robinson (5))

CAR (18:18-PP)- Andrei Svechnikov (4) (Jordan Staal (4) & Sebastian Aho (6))

Overtime

None

Double Overtime

VGK (5:38)- Shea Theodore (6) (Brayden McNabb (8) & Brett Howden (6))

My Thoughts

There's the hockey fan in me that has been in awe of how incredible the first three games of this series have been. Even when you don't think there's going to be any drama, it seems to materialize out of nowhere. As a Hurricanes fan, this series has aged me terribly, and they've only played three games. This series has been about as wild as it gets, and the Canes are making life so much harder on themselves and the fans because of it. This team goes through mood swings worse than a teenager during puberty. They went from playing one of the worst periods I've ever seen them play to forcing overtime with their quick-strike ability. They had every chance to win this game. Unfortunately, a bad bounce didn't go their way, and it put them back down a game in the series. People are calling it a classic. Some of those same people thought this series would be boring.

That second period was about as bad as the Hurricanes have played this season. You can't completely ignore the two overturned goals. The first was a bad defensive breakdown in the opening seconds of the period, leading to a breakaway. Fortunately, Brett Howden was offside. The second overturned goal shouldn't be as controversial as people are making it out to be. Ivan Barbashev went through the crease by himself and made contact with Frederik Andersen's head before Jack Eichel scored. It's textbook goalie interference, even for a league that doesn't know what goalie interference actually is. The rest of the period was just bad, and that's putting it mildly. A very avoidable too-many-men penalty pushed the snowball down the hill, and it only got bigger until the horn sounded. Mitch Marner turned into a monster, scoring three times after assisting on the first one. Truthfully, unless a Hurricanes player goes insane and they win the series, Marner should probably be the Conn Smythe winner. 

Everything changed once Brandon Bussi took the crease to start the third period. After almost two months without any game action, he made his postseason debut and looked outstanding. There was no easing into this one. He made two big stops immediately before Marner was awarded a penalty shot. Bussi denied it, and the team seemed to piggyback off his confidence. What followed was three of the quickest goals I've ever seen. The Canes got to their game, and they were finally rewarded. Jordan Martinook took advantage of Seth Jarvis's effort. Taylor Hall finished a brilliant feed from Sebastian Aho. Jordan Staal scored for the third straight game on a beautiful deflection. In 39 seconds, the game was brand new. All that was missing was the tying goal, which finally came on the power play with just under two minutes left. Andrei Svechnikov got it on another wacky play. I'm just disappointed with how the game ended. It was a shot off the boards that hit Bussi's skate in double overtime. It's an awful way to end a game that was genuinely insane.

Now, the Hurricanes have to dig deep again. They took it on the chin after Game 1 and followed it up with a win in overtime in Game 2. They've yet to play a full 60 minutes their way in this series, and Vegas deserves a ton of credit for that. However, we know that there is another gear that this team can reach. Defense has been lacking in this series, and Carter Hart has turned into a pumpkin during the last two third periods. The series is still there for the taking. It's not like against Florida in recent years when the Canes are getting outclassed and forced into these situations. The Canes have put themselves here. It's their job to work out of it. Truthfully, if they go back to Raleigh in a 3-1 series hole, I don't think they'll be able to climb out of it. If that happens, I still think that the series comes back to Vegas for a sixth game, but their time might be running out by then.

First Star of the Game: Brandon Bussi

I think there's a legitimate case to make for Sebastian Aho tonight, who had two important assists, but Brandon Bussi was the reason that this comeback was possible. Aho took the slashing penalty that allowed Mitch Marner's penalty shot, and Bussi was up for the challenge. He stopped the first 18 shots that he faced before the bouncing puck off the boards beat him in double overtime. It should be his net in Game 4, but we'll have to wait until Tuesday to find out.

Next Up: We're all getting a much-deserved break between now and the next game. Game 4 will be on Tuesday night in Vegas. The teams will be back in Raleigh on Tuesday night for Game 5, and the question will be whether or not that game is an elimination game for the Canes. A Vegas win on Tuesday means that the Stanley Cup will be in the building. A Carolina win evens the series and brings us back to Las Vegas next Sunday night.