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Vegas Takes 2-0 Lead Despite Controversial Officiating
7 Jun
Summary
- Two Vegas goals were disallowed due to successful Hurricanes challenges.
- Tomas Hertl scored a power play goal to give Vegas a 1-0 lead.
- Mitch Marner scored twice, including his first Stanley Cup Final goal.
In Game 3 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, the Vegas Golden Knights experienced a frustrating start as two of their early goals were disallowed following successful challenges by the Carolina Hurricanes. The first disallowed goal, scored by captain Mark Stone, was overturned due to an offside call on Brett Howden's pass. Moments later, Jack Eichel's goal was waved off for goaltender interference after Ivan Barbashev made contact with Frederik Andersen.
Despite the setbacks, the Golden Knights quickly regained momentum. Tomas Hertl ignited their offense with a power play goal, securing a 1-0 lead. The team then extended their advantage to 2-0 just 16 seconds later when Mitch Marner's centering pass deflected off Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker and into the net. This marked Marner's first career goal in the Stanley Cup Final.
Marner continued his impactful performance by scoring a second goal shortly after being denied on a breakaway. With this surge, the Golden Knights established a commanding lead, putting pressure on the Hurricanes to mount a significant comeback to avoid falling behind two games to one in the series.
