Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella praised right wing Mitch Marner's standout performance in Game 3 of the Western Conference second-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks. Marner notched his first career hat trick in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, powering the Golden Knights to a 6-2 win over the Ducks on Friday and giving them a 2-1 series lead at Honda Center.

Although the playoff series is now level at 2-2 with the Ducks winning Game 4, Marner’s impactful Game 3 outing remains a talking point. When asked about Marner’s hat trick performance on Saturday, just a day after Game 3, Tortorella highlighted the unique aspects of the Canadian’s playing style.

In a categorical statement to the reporters, the Golden Knights head coach said, as per the Sportsnet website, “You guys don't see the stuff he does. People here, people in Toronto, all the people that talk about this guy, they don't see any of the things that he brings to a game, even if he doesn't score a goal. I've known that coaching against him.”

Tortorella also called out the criticism against Marner for struggling in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in his NHL career over the years. He said, “That narrative is a bunch of (expletive). Like I said last night, Mitch doesn't care. Mitch is a pro. He's a terrific player, one of the top players in this league, and he plays for us.”

During his time at the Toronto Maple Leafs, which began in 2016, he made the playoffs on nine straight occasions without making it past the second round. He played in 70 games in the playoffs with the Maple Leafs, scoring 13 goals and 50 assists for 63 points with a 0.900 points percentage.

It was certainly below par compared to his regular season stats in Toronto, recording 741 points (221G / 520A) in 657 games for 1.128 PPG after nine seasons.

Mitch Marner’s stats for the Knights in 2025-26 season

Mitch Marner joined the Vegas Golden Knights ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season after leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs and managed to keep up with his standards in the new franchise. The Thornhill, Ontario native competed in 81 games for the Golden Knights in the regular season, scoring 24 goals and 56 assists for 80 points with a 0.988 PPG.

At the conclusion of Game 4 of the second round of the Western Conference playoff series between the Golden Knights and the Ducks, Marner leads the postseason stats with 16 points (6G /10A) in 10 games. He has done remarkably well after John Tortorella joined Vegas as the head coach on March 29 of this year, after his predecessor Bruce Cassidy was fired.

Marner played a key role in a 7-0-1 record for Tortorella in the home stretch of the regular season before continuing the good work in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In the first round playoff series against the Utah Mammoth, which the Golden Knights won in six games, he registered two goals and five assists for seven points. It included two goals and an assist in Game 6 versus the Mammoth to seal the deal with a 5-1 score line.

The Golden Knights will play Game 5 of the ongoing playoff series against the Ducks at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 12.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason