Mitch Marner scored a natural hat trick in a four-point Game 3 performance, fueling the Vegas Golden Knights to a 6-2 win and a 2-1 series lead over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night.
In the process, Marner continued to answer criticism about being a Stanley Cup disappointment that has dogged him for years.
"I think he's a hell of a hockey player," said Vegas coach John Tortorella. "I think he's very confident in what he brings. People give him s--- all the time about playoffs and this and that. I don't think it bothers him a lick. He just plays."
It was Marner's first career NHL postseason hat trick and only the fourth multigoal playoff game in 79 career postseason appearances. During his nine seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, fans and the media turned him into a playoff pariah, putting the blame on him for the team's lack of postseason success. Marner was traded by the Maple Leafs to Vegas on the eve of free agency, signing an eight-year, $96 million contract with a full no-movement cause.
Critics pointed to Marner's lack of aggressive offense, with his points per game average dropping from 1.13 in the regular season to 0.90 in the playoffs during his time in Toronto. He had just two assists and was a minus-7 in losing six Game 7s. Marner was called "pathetic" and "disengaged" on a national broadcast for his play in Toronto's first-round loss to Boston in 2024.
Now, he's leading the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs in scoring after nine games with 13 points and is tied with teammate Brett Howden for the lead in postseason goals (six).
"I feel like I just want to go out there and play my game. I feel like I've been doing that for a while. I know probably people think the results weren't coming in the past. Sometimes that's what happens," said Marner after Game 3. "I just try to go out there and do the thing I do."
Marner helped give the Knights a 2-0 lead in the first period on a play that perfectly captured his 200-foot game. With Anaheim on a power play, Marner intercepted the puck in his own zone and skated it out. Once inside the Ducks' zone, he pulled up to draw the defense and set up a speeding Brayden McNabb with a drop pass. McNabb scored his first goal of the playoffs while Marner picked up his third short-handed point of the postseason.
Then it was time for Marner to flex his own goal-scoring prowess. He made it 3-0 on the power play, collecting a loose puck in the Anaheim crease and depositing it into the net with 4.6 seconds left until intermission. He scored again 9:19 into the second period, patiently waiting out goalie Ville Husso -- who replaced Lukas Dostal to start the period -- to tuck the puck into the net. Marner completed the natural hat trick at 17:56 of the second period, sneaking the puck between Husso and his right post to make it 5-0 for Vegas.
"Great players find a way to find the puck at the right time," said Ducks coach Joel Quenneville. "That's one of his strengths and he played a good game."
One factor in Marner's huge night was a lineup tweak for Tortorella. After playing Marner and linemate Howden with center William Karlsson for a bit in Game 2, Tortorella put that line together formally in Game 3.
"It's been great playing with him the last four or five periods," Marner said of Karlsson. "We're just trying to keep talking to one another about where we like to be and where we like to play hockey."
The Golden Knights played their best game of the series in Game 3, but it wasn't without some concerns. Captain Mark Stone didn't play after the first period, leaving the game after just seven shifts. He assisted on defenseman Shea Theodore's opening goal.
Tortorella had no update on Stone's status, but the coach knows he has other players who can step up if necessary. Like Marner, who is putting years of playoff disappointments behind him thanks to efforts like his Game 3 performance against Anaheim.
"I don't think there's ever a problem with his confidence. People talk about him -- this, that, the other thing. I don't think he listens to it, whether it be good or bad," Tortorella said. "I never worry about how he feels about it. That's why he's one of the best players around. He's got that proper mindset."