Golden Knights were the NHL's best 3rd-period team until 2 Hurricanes comebacks

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NHL’s best third-period team this season suddenly can’t hold a lead.Vegas paid for it in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at Carolina and barely escaped after an even more improbable Hurricanes comeback in Game 3.The Golden Knights’ 5-4 double-overtime victory Saturday night put them two wins from their second Stanley Cup in four years.To get there, they will not only need to get ahead, but stay there, beginning with Game 4 on Tuesday in Las Vegas.That generally hasn’t been a problem for the Golden Knights, whose plus-47 goal differential in the regular season was the league’s best. They also were adept and closing out games in the playoffs, posting an NHL-leading plus-10 differential before Game 2 on Thursday night.Then came a lost 2-0 lead that night and 4-0 advantage that was erased on Saturday. Both leads held well into the third period.

An anomaly for the Golden Knights or something more concerning?“It’s playoff hockey,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said Sunday. “A lot of stuff happens. I’m not concerned about it.”In both games, the Golden Knights appeared to be in full control as the minutes in the third period were ticking down.

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