With the NFL in the dog days of the offseason, there aren’t as many football-related headlines outside of what’s happening at OTAs.
However, NFL players are watching and reacting to other sports, including the Stanley Cup Final, which featured the Vegas Golden Knights securing a dramatic double-overtime win in Game 3 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
NFL World Reacts As Golden Knights Win Wild Double-OT Thriller in Stanley Cup Final
This year’s Stanley Cup Final has been absolute cinema. Behind a sensational performance from Mitch Marner, the Golden Knights edged out the Hurricanes in Game 3 to grab a 2-1 series lead.
Some are already calling it one of the greatest games in NHL history, and reactions quickly poured in from across the NFL world.
“That was ELECTRIC NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS HOCKEY! Las Vegas Golden Knights with the most unlikely way to win a Double Overtime thriller,” former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III tweeted.
That was ELECTRIC NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS HOCKEY! Las Vegas Golden Knights with the most unlikely way to win a Double Overtime thriller.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) June 7, 2026
“What IN THE HOCKEY IS GOING ON?” RGIII wrote in a separate tweet.
“VEGAS!!!!” Super Bowl champion head coach turned Barstool Sports analyst Jon Gruden wrote on X.
VEGAS!!!! pic.twitter.com/DsqMXDHQVe
— Jon Gruden (@BarstoolGruden) June 7, 2026
After a scoreless first period, Marner scored a natural hat trick in just 6:10, the fastest in Stanley Cup Final history, breaking Maurice Richard’s 1957 mark.
That explosion put Vegas ahead 4-0, but Carolina refused to fold. The Hurricanes stormed back in the third period, scoring three goals in just 39 seconds, marking the fastest scoring stretch by one team in Stanley Cup Final history.
Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore fired the puck into the stands late in the game, taking a costly delay-of-game penalty. Carolina capitalized immediately, with Andrei Svechnikov scoring on the power play to tie the game 4-4 and force overtime. After a scoreless first overtime, the game ended in double overtime when Theodore scored the game-winning goal.
The wild game transcended hockey, as the NFL world was blown away.
“THREE GOALS IN 39 SECONDS,” former NFL stars Will Compton and Taylor Lewan’s podcast page, “Bussin’ With The Boys,” tweeted.
THREE GOALS IN 39 SECONDS pic.twitter.com/lEM3vVCEaR
— Bussin’ With The Boys (@BussinWTB) June 7, 2026
“Let’s go to the rules analyst to explain the obvious thing everyone saw,” WGR 550 host Nate Geary wrote during the contest.
Let’s go to the rules analyst to explain the obvious thing everyone saw
— Nate Geary (@NateGearySports) June 7, 2026
ESPN noted that 25 combined goals through the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final is the most since 1981. There were also just 16 seconds between Tomas Hertl and Marner’s goals in the second period, the fastest two-goal stretch in Golden Knights playoff history.
Marner’s playoff production has also stood out, as he now has 10 goals in one postseason with Vegas compared to 13 goals across nine seasons with the Maple Leafs.
Meanwhile, Game 3 also had some NFL players in the building, as Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza and his offensive line attended the game. Before the game, Mendoza got the crowd fired up by cranking the arena’s siren alongside his linemen.
The teams will now get two days off before meeting in Game 4 in Las Vegas on Tuesday night.
