Ducks vs. Golden Knights Game 3: Key takeaways as Marner takes NHL playoff scoring lead with hat trick

Mitch Marner continues to be a major presence for the Vegas Golden Knights in these Stanley Cup playoffs.

Some of his fellow big-name teammates finally made noise of their own in Game 3 against the Anaheim Ducks. Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb scored first-period goals, and Marner then scored three consecutive goals for his first career playoff hat trick as the Golden Knights went on to a 6-2 rout Friday night at Honda Center, giving them a 2-1 series advantage over the upstart Ducks in the second round. Game 4 is Sunday night in Anaheim. After the Ducks played two strong games to leave Las Vegas with a split, the Golden Knights responded with their best performance — they led 5-0 in the second period — and now have an opportunity to seize control of the series. Marner now leads the NHL with 13 points in the playoffs (six goals and seven assists) and is one point from tying his career high for a single postseason. Marner’s total of six goals in nine playoff games with Vegas is already his most in a single postseason, including the first nine years of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Theodore also added an assist on Marner’s second goal, in addition to his goal in the first. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Pavel Dorofeyev each had assists. Stone left the game in the first period with an apparent injury.

“Not all problems are solved because you win a game,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “You have to keep on trying to get better. I thought we entered the series tonight, playing our game a little more than we have, but we’re going to have to keep improving.” Carter Hart made 30 saves for Vegas. Ducks rookie Beckett Sennecke broke Hart’s shutout bid with a goal at 6:30 of the third — Sennecke’s second straight game with a goal. Chris Kreider scored for Anaheim with five minutes remaining to make it 5-2 before Brett Howden’s late empty-net goal.

Marner dominates with hat trick

Marner has consistently been Vegas’ best player in these playoffs, and he was again Friday night in Anaheim with a natural hat trick. “I think he’s a hell of a hockey player,” Tortorella said of Marner. “I’ve watched him from afar for many years. We feel we’re very fortunate to have him on this team.” Back in his natural position, on the wing, Marner jump-started the Golden Knights with two first-period points, both on special teams. First, he stole the puck from the Ducks’ power play, skated the length of the ice to back off the Anaheim defenders and dropped the puck to McNabb in space. McNabb buried the shot for Vegas’ third short-handed goal of the playoffs. Marner has had the primary assist on all three. “Mitch was fantastic,” Theodore said. “He’s just so smart. He’s so skilled. You can use him in every situation. It’s good to see him elevating his game even more. It’s definitely a good time to get three goals for sure.”