Three was the lucky number in Las Vegas for Game 3 as the Golden Knights overcame a three-goal deficit en route to a 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference Final. Vegas became the ninth team in NHL history to record a three-goal comeback win in the round before the Stanley Cup Final.
* John Tortorella became the first head coach in NHL history to lead his team to a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven series against the League’s No. 1 seed multiple times. The Golden Knights bench boss also joined a short all-time list with his third career three-goal comeback win in the postseason.
* The Canadiens welcome the Hurricanes to Bell Centre for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final with a 2-1 series lead on the line. Teams that take a 2-1 lead in a best-of seven during the round before the Stanley Cup Final go on to win that series more than three quarters of the time.
GOLDEN KNIGHTS STUN AVALANCHE WITH THREE-GOAL RALLY, CLAIM 3-0 SERIES LEAD
Gabriel Landeskog scored the first of three straight Avalanche goals as his club took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission but Mark Stone (1-1—2) – in the lineup for the first time since Game 3 of the Second Round – scored the first of five straight Golden Knights goals as Vegas stole Game 3 from the Presidents’ Trophy winners and moved within one victory of their third Stanley Cup Final appearance in nine NHL seasons.
* The Golden Knights, who captured the franchise’s first three-goal comeback win in the postseason, became the seventh team in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to register a three-goal comeback victory against the No. 1-seeded club. The others: Blue Jackets (Game 1 of 2019 R1 at TBL), Jets (Game 3 of 2018 R2 vs. NSH), Flyers (Game 3 of 1987 SCF vs. EDM), Flames (Game 2 of 1984 DF at EDM), Canadiens (Game 2 of 1971 QF at BOS) and Maple Leafs (Game 3 of 1936 SCF vs. DET).
* Vegas became the 10th team in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to take a 3-0 series lead against the No. 1 seed and third in the past eight postseasons after Tampa Bay achieved the feat versus Florida during the 2022 Second Round and Columbus did so against Tampa Bay in the 2019 First Round.
Did You Know? The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are the fifth straight postseason to feature multiple three-goal comeback victories (also COL in Game 5 of R2). The only other streak of that length in NHL history occurred from 1982 to 1988 (7 years).
DEJA VU: TORTORELLA ALL TOO FAMILIAR WITH SUNDAY’S RESULT
The Golden Knights improved to 18-4-1 under head coach John Tortorella, who joined the club with eight games remaining in their regular-season schedule. Tortorella has now been the head coach for each of the NHL’s past two times a team has rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Presidents’ Trophy winners in a playoff game after he watched his Blue Jackets accomplish the feat in Game 1 of the 2019 First Round against the 62-win Lightning en route to a series sweep.
* Tortorella, who earned his third career three-goal comeback win in the playoffs, became the first coach in NHL history to lead a best-of-seven series 3-0 against the No. 1-seeded team multiple times.
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* The Golden Knights sit one win shy of their third Stanley Cup Final appearance, which would tie the Flyers and Blues for the second most by a franchise through their first nine seasons in the NHL’s expansion era, behind the Oilers (5).
* The Golden Knights recorded their sixth season with 50 or more wins (regular season and playoffs combined) – the second most by a franchise through their first nine seasons, behind only the Oilers (7).
* Mitch Marner (0-2—2) boosted his totals in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs to 7-14—21 (15 GP). He is one of five players in the past 30 years with 14 or more assists through his first 15 career playoff games with a franchise, alongside David Pastrnak (15 w/ BOS), Reilly Smith (14 w/ VGK), Sidney Crosby (14 w/ PIT) and Wayne Gretzky (14 w/ STL).
* Brett Howden (10-2—12) capped the evening with his 10th goal of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs and tied teammate Pavel Dorofeyev (10-4—14) for the League lead. It marked the fifth time since 2014 that a pair of teammates were the League’s first two players to hit a double-digit goal total in a single postseason, following Zach Hyman and Leon Draisaitl (EDM in 2024), Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl (SJS in 2019), Jake Guentzel and Evgeni Malkin (PIT in 2017) as well as Marian Gaborik and Jeff Carter (LAK in 2014).
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CANADIENS, HURRICANES BATTLE FOR 2-1 LEAD AS SERIES SHIFTS TO BELL CENTRE
The Canadiens welcome the Hurricanes to Bell Centre for a pivotal Game 3, with a 2-1 series lead on the line, in the Eastern Conference Final after Nikolaj Ehlers and Josh Anderson sparked the offense for their respective clubs during an overtime thriller in Game 2. Teams that take a 2-1 lead in a best-of seven series during the round before the Stanley Cup Final hold an all-time series record of 92-28 (.767).
* Eric Robinson (2-2—4 in 10 GP) is an undrafted, 10-season NHL veteran and has become an unexpected source of offense for the Hurricanes, who have their sights on a fifth straight road win to start the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Robinson has found the back of the net in each of the first two games of the Eastern Conference Final and can become the third player in franchise history to start a series with a three-game goal streak, following Logan Stankoven (4 GP in 2026 R1) and Pat Verbeek (3 GP in 1991 DSF). The 30-year-old can also become the fourth active player to score each of his first three or more goals of a postseason in the Conference Finals/Semifinals alongside Jason Robertson (4 in 2025), Cole Caufield (4 in 2021) and Tyler Seguin (3 in 2011).
* Phillip Danault (2-8—10 in 16 GP), with a reputation for being a go-to, two-way center, has adapted the script in the Eastern Conference Final with the Canadiens and has collected a series-best four points (1-3—4). When the puck drops for Game 3, he can join P.K. Subban (3 GP in 2014 R2) as the second Canadiens player in the past 45 years to record multiple points in each of his team’s first three games of a series.
