The Vegas Golden Knights continue to roll in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after a dominant 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 3, giving Vegas a 2-1 series lead.
But after another explosive performance from Mitch Marner, the Ducks are suddenly running out of answers, and even head coach Joel Quenneville appears to be reconsidering his approach.
Mitch Marner Has Anaheim Ducks Searching for Answers
Marner dominated Game 3 from start to finish, putting together a hat trick and an assist in a huge playoff performance for Vegas.
Shea Theodore got the Golden Knights going early, scoring just 1:06 into the first period off a setup from Jack Eichel. Later in the period, Marner picked off a pass during an Anaheim power play and set up Brayden McNabb for a short-handed goal at 12:13 to make it 2-0.
Marner added a power-play goal with only five seconds remaining in the first period to push the lead to 3-0. He struck again at 9:19 of the second, before completing a natural hat trick at 17:56 with a sharp-angle finish from the left circle.
Beckett Sennecke got Anaheim on the board at 6:30 of the third period. Chris Kreider cut the deficit to 5-2 at 15:09 off a feed from Troy Terry. Brett Howden later sealed the 6-2 victory with an empty-netter with 1:56 remaining.
Marner now leads all playoff scorers this season with 13 points, including six goals and seven assists.
Following the loss, Quenneville admitted, “There’s a lesson to take out of today’s game, and it’s only going to get harder every single game.”
Anaheim starter Lukas Dostal allowed three goals on eight shots before being pulled after the first period. Ville Husso took over in relief and made 17 saves.
After the game, Quenneville was asked whether Dostal would return as the starter for Game 4. His response, “We’ll see, but, uh… we’ll see.” His comment suggested Anaheim’s goaltending situation is suddenly far from settled after Marner laid waste at the Honda Center on Friday night.
Marner downplayed the individual accolades and credited his teammates for putting him in good positions throughout the night. “It’s always nice to try and contribute in a couple games but, at the end of the day, you just want to win games… Tonight, a lot of great plays by a lot of people around me to set me up in a spot I could succeed in,” Marner said.
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Game 4 is on Sunday in Anaheim, with Vegas aiming to build on its momentum and move one step closer to taking control of the series.
