{"id":307749,"date":"2026-05-09T14:37:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T14:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/307749\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T14:37:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T14:37:10","slug":"mitch-marner-buries-the-ducks-in-game-3-and-the-narrative-about-his-playoff-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/307749\/","title":{"rendered":"Mitch Marner buries the Ducks in Game 3 \u2014 and the narrative about his playoff impact"},"content":{"rendered":"

ANAHEIM, Calif. \u2014 Mitch Marner has been dominant in the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and seems entirely unbothered with the now-outdated narrative that he couldn\u2019t get it done in the postseason.<\/p>\n

Vegas\u2019 superstar forward scored a natural hat trick on Friday night at Honda Center to lift the Golden Knights to a 6-2 win and take a 2-1 lead in their second-round series against the Anaheim Ducks.<\/p>\n

Marner now leads the NHL with 13 playoff points and is tied for the league lead with six goals through just nine games. It\u2019s a stark contrast to the narrative that followed him out of Toronto: that of a supremely talented player who would shrink under the spotlight and physicality of postseason hockey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s very confident in what he brings,\u201d Vegas coach John Tortorella said of Marner after Game 3. \u201cPeople give him s\u2014 all of the time, about the playoffs, and this and that. I don\u2019t think it bothers him a lick. He just plays. He\u2019s a hockey player. I\u2019m glad he\u2019s doing some things for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t as though Marner played poorly in the playoffs for the Maple Leafs. His 63 points over nine postseasons led all Toronto skaters over that span. The feeling was that Marner didn\u2019t elevate his game to another stratosphere when his team needed it most. He didn\u2019t put teammates on his back and carry them to a much-needed win.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s precisely what he did for the Golden Knights in Game 3.<\/p>\n

After uninspired performances by Vegas in games 1 and 2, Friday\u2019s game in Anaheim felt like a pivotal moment in the series \u2014 a line drawn in the sand. The series was tied, but there was no denying that the Ducks were the superior team in both games in Las Vegas, and the Golden Knights were desperate to avoid a third.<\/p>\n

For the second time in a week, Marner delivered his best game when Vegas needed it most. Previously, his two-goal, three-point night helped the Golden Knights eliminate the Utah Mammoth in Game 6 of the first round. This time, Marner\u2019s three-goal, four-point night helped them swing momentum in their favor against Anaheim.<\/p>\n

Along the way, he\u2019s destroying the narrative that followed him from Toronto to Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

Asked if he takes any personal satisfaction in that, Marner quickly replied, \u201cNo. Not really. There\u2019s a lot of work to still go. It\u2019s always nice to contribute and try to win games.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smile if you just scored your first career playoff hat trick \ud83d\ude03\ud83e\ude84 pic.twitter.com\/nCdpHSrfYH<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) May 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Marner was intentionally subdued and modest after the game, but it seemed clear by his play and his body language that, in his mind, this is nothing surprising or new. He\u2019s just doing what he does: play great hockey.<\/p>\n

Marner\u2019s first of many brilliant plays on Friday night came on the penalty kill in the first period. He anticipated a pass by the Ducks\u2019 power play, intercepted the puck and zipped up the ice. Realizing he was alone in the offensive zone with three Ducks around him, Marner quickly threw on the brakes, bought himself space and then dropped the puck to defenseman Brayden McNabb, who fired a shot past Anaheim goalie Luk\u00e1\u0161 Dost\u00e1l to give Vegas a 2-0 lead.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a great play by Mitchie,\u201d McNabb said.<\/p>\n

Sitting beside him at the postgame media podium, Marner scoffed playfully.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to always be an energizer guy, and a guy who goes out there and brings a lot of passion and energy to games,\u201d Marner said. \u201cI always try to want the puck on my tape. I want to try to make the plays.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the final seconds of the first period, Marner found a rebound in front of the Ducks\u2019 net and potted it into a wide-open net to extend Vegas\u2019 lead to 3-0 before intermission.<\/p>\n

\u201cMitch was fantastic,\u201d said defenseman Shea Theodore, who scored the game\u2019s opening goal. \u201cHe\u2019s just so smart. He\u2019s so skilled. You can use him in every situation. It\u2019s good to see him elevating his game even more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Midway through the second period, Theodore found Marner as he was streaking toward the net on the weak side. Anaheim backup goalie Ville Husso, who replaced Dostal in the net after the first period, sprawled to get his left pad across, but Marner calmly danced around him and tucked the puck into the yawning cage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that he probably scored in a couple of different ways,\u201d Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said of Marner. \u201cBut at the same time, I think how we defended the rush one time was not the right way, or we did this, we did that. But certainly, great players find a way to find the puck at the right time. And that\u2019s one of his strengths. Played a good game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marner completed the natural hat trick with his third straight goal near the end of the second period, when he curled from behind the Anaheim net and beat Husso with a shot to the short side.<\/p>\n

After playing center for nearly half of the regular season and most of the playoffs, Tortorella moved Marner back to his natural position on the wing midway through Game 2 on Wednesday. He showed instant chemistry with William Karlsson, and the two read off each other incredibly well on Friday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe sees passes that aren\u2019t there, but for him, they are,\u201d Karlsson said. \u201cHe makes it work. I see now why he has been so successful throughout his career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even in a rocking, sold-out Honda Center, Marner could be heard orchestrating plays with his linemates on the ice.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s very vocal out there,\u201d Karlsson said. \u201cHe makes it easy for you. I always know where he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always trying to talk, and always trying to let people know where I\u2019m at on the ice, to give them a little bit easier of a mindset, especially if their back is turned,\u201d Marner explained. \u201cI want the same thing back. I tell Karlsson and Howden the same thing. \u2018If you\u2019re open, let me know and I\u2019ll try to get it to you as quickly as I can.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

In Marner\u2019s 127 minutes of even-strength ice time this postseason, Vegas holds commanding edges in shot attempts (132-96), shots on goal (59-48) and scoring chances (60-36).<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been a lot of different moments in these playoffs so far that people have stepped up and made big plays,\u201d he said. \u201cI think again tonight, a lot of great plays by people around me to set me up in a spot I could succeed in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vegas has gotten game-winning goals from five different players in six postseason wins. Theodore and Brett Howden both scored overtime goals. Pavel Dorofeyev had a hat trick in the first round. But as modest as Marner would like to be, as much as he\u2019d like to deflect the attention, there\u2019s no doubt he has been the biggest hero to this point.<\/p>\n

Before Friday, Marner\u2019s career high for goals in a single postseason was three. He matched that total in a single game and is now tied for the league lead this postseason. He also has multiple game-winning goals for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s ever a problem with his confidence,\u201d Tortorella said. \u201cPeople talk about him, this, that, and the other. I don\u2019t think he listens to it, whether it be good or bad. He\u2019s just a hockey player. I never worry about how he feels about it. That\u2019s why he\u2019s one of the best players around. He\u2019s got that proper mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n