Marner's Historic Hat Trick in Game 3 Breaks Long-Standing Stanley Cup Final Record

Mitch Marner scored a hat trick in just over six minutes during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. That is the fastest in Cup Final history, and it shattered a record that had stood for decades.

And somehow that was only part of the madness.

Maurice "Rocket" Richard set the original mark many years ago.

Marner didn't just beat it. He obliterated it. Three goals in just over six minutes. Some fans in the building had barely finished their first beer.

Three straight games. Three straight comebacks. And it started with Marner

The second period of Game 3 was absolutely unhinged.

Marner recorded multiple points in one period.

The first player in history to do that in a Cup Final. Then Vegas buried two goals in quick succession. Then Carolina answered with three goals in a short span. The fastest three goals anyone has ever seen in a Cup Final, breaking a mark set by the Montreal Canadiens many years ago.

Three games. Three tying goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation. A first in Cup Final history.

If you looked away for 30 seconds, you missed a record.

Carolina nearly pulled off the impossible

Down 4-0, the Hurricanes clawed all the way back. They became only the second team in Cup Final history to erase a four-goal deficit in the same game.

They had the momentum.

They had the crowd. They forced overtime.

Shea Theodore ended the party in double OT, banking one off Brandon Bussi's left skate after a brutal bounce off the end boards. Theodore logged over 39 minutes of ice time on 51 shifts.

Not bad for a Tuesday.

Marner is making his Conn Smythe case impossible to ignore

With 28 points through 19 playoff games, 10 goals and 18 assists — Marner is not just carrying Vegas.

He is rewriting their record book mid-series.

The hat trick broke Rocket Richard's long-standing record. Multiple points in a single period. First ever in a Cup Final. Carolina's three goals in a short span. Fastest trio in Cup Final history.

Theodore's double OT winner came after over 39 minutes of ice time.

Now Vegas heads home with a 2-1 series lead and a chance to put Carolina on the ropes in Game 4.

Can Carolina answer, or does Marner keep cooking?

The Hurricanes have proven they can score in bunches and mount ridiculous comebacks.

They have also proven they can spot a team a four-goal lead and spend the rest of the night trying to dig out.

You cannot script that.

The bigger question is whether Carolina's goaltending can stabilize. Bussi was solid down the stretch but caught a brutal break on the Theodore bounce. And Marner. With 28 points in 19 games. Shows no signs of slowing down.

One thing is certain: this series is nowhere near finished.

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Sources: NHL.com | Sportsnet | Daily Faceoff