- Mitch Marner is the runaway Conn Smythe favorite with the Cup Final tied 2-2
- His record hat trick in Game 3 pushed him to 28 points, the most in the 2026 playoffs
- Read below for where Eichel, Howden and Carolina’s contenders stand
Mitch Marner is running away with the Conn Smythe, and the Stanley Cup Final isn’t close to settled.
The Vegas forward sits at the top of every playoff MVP board right now, and Game 3 is the reason why. Marner scored the fastest hat trick in Cup Final history that night, three goals in 6:10, wiping out a record Maurice Richard had held for 69 years.
He wasn’t finished in that second period either. An assist on Tomas Hertl’s goal made him the first player ever to put up four points in a single period of a Cup Final.
Here’s the NHL marking the moment:
Marner leads all skaters this postseason with 28 points, 10 goals and 18 assists. That total already passed Frank Mahovlich for the most playoff points by a player in his first year with a franchise. Marner got to Vegas on a sign-and-trade out of Toronto last July.
Watch the Game 3 damage and Carolina’s wild answer:
Oddsmakers have him as a clear favorite at -125. Teammate Jack Eichel is the closest challenger with 19 points, and Brett Howden has been a problem all his own. Howden leads every remaining skater with 14 goals.
Carolina has its own arguments if the Hurricanes flip the series. Frederik Andersen would be the pick in net, with Logan Stankoven and Taylor Hall leading the forward cases. The Canes already proved they can punch back, evening things at two wins apiece in Game 4.
The matchup itself has lived up to the billing:
Game 5 goes Thursday night in Raleigh with the series knotted at two. Vegas needs three more wins, and if they get there, the Conn Smythe argument is already finished.
