The puck is officially down at T-Mobile Arena as the Vegas Golden Knights battle the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. Vegas entered the Tuesday night matchup holding a 2-1 series lead following a chaotic double-overtime victory over the weekend. A win places the Golden Knights just one victory away from hoisting the cup, while Carolina is fighting to even the contest and save their season.
The Golden Knights secured their advantage in Game 3 despite surrendering a 4-0 third-period lead. Defenseman Shea Theodore ended the game with a 5-4 double-overtime winner, according to CBS Sports. Vegas forward Mitch Marner recorded the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup Final history during that contest. The performance pushed his playoff points total to a franchise-record 28 points.
Carolina built their deep postseason run on elite defense. They posted a 12-1 record through the first three rounds before hitting resistance against Vegas. The Hurricanes are making their first appearance in the Final since 2006, the exact year they captured their only franchise championship. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour pulled starter Frederik Andersen during the Game 3 comeback effort. He opted for Brandon Bussi, who had not played in two months. Bussi finished the game and remained a starting option for Game 4.
The series is producing an unexpected amount of offense. The two teams combined for 25 goals through the first three games. That marks the highest scoring total to start a Stanley Cup Final since the New York Islanders and Minnesota North Stars put up 30 goals in 1981.