Mitch Marner’s Last-Gasp Block in Stanley Cup Final Game 1 Leaves Fans Divided: “Trying to Get out of the Way”

Mitch Marner blocked a shot in the final moments of Game 1, which preserved his side's lead and helped them win 5-4.

Mitch Marner’s Last-Gasp Block in Stanley Cup Final Game 1 Leaves Fans Divided: “Trying to Get out of the Way”

Mitch Marner (Image via CBC)

Mitch Marner continues to steal the spotlight. In his first-ever Stanley Cup Final game, the Vegas Golden Knights star made a huge last-gasp block to prevent the Carolina Hurricanes from scoring. This left the fans on social media divided.

The Golden Knights traveled to the Lenovo Center to take on the Hurricanes on Tuesday. This was the 3rd Stanley Cup Final for both teams.

The Canes had been on a dominant run this playoffs. After sweeping the Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers in the first and second rounds, respectively, they took down the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 after losing Game 1.

Meanwhile, the Golden Knights reached the Final by sweeping the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs, who won the President’s Trophy this season, were swept 4-0 in the Western Conference Final.

The Hurricanes had a perfect start to this game as they took the lead inside 25 seconds through Nikolaj Ehlers. He scored again in the first period and put his side 2-0 up. The Golden Knights pulled one back through Shea Theodore and ended the first period 2-1 down.

In the second period, the visitors completed the comeback. A snapshot from Ivan Barbashev was followed by a strike from William Karlsson. The third goal, which put them 3-2 up, was assisted by Marner.

Jordan Staal leveled the game at 3-3 in the second period. The topsy-turvy game then saw Brett Howden put the Golden Knights 4-3 up before Shayne Gostisbehere tied the proceedings again at 4-4.

The Golden Knights scored for the 5th time through Tomas Hertl and retook the lead. The Canes kept pushing for a tying goal to force OT. With around 4 seconds remaining on the clock, Alexander Nikishin‘s effort was blocked by Marner.

This turned out to be the last action of the game, and the Golden Knights held on to win 5-4. The announcer expressed that Marner was probably trying to get out of the way. However, on the NHL’s official page, it went down as a blocked shot from Marner.

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Social media reacts to Mitch Marner’s actions in Game 1

Whether Mitch Marner intended to block the shot or was just trying to get out of harm’s way, only he knows. However, this action from him proved to be vital as the shot from Alexander Nikishin was on target.

Mitch Marner
Mitch Marner (Image via TSN)

Fans on social media were left divided by this. While some made jokes about this incident, there were some who felt that his actions of blocking the shot were unintended. One user struck with that narrative and wrote, “He was trying to get out of the way” on X.

Check out some fan reactions regarding this incident below:

In the end, what matters is the result. The Golden Knights got the right result and took a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 will be played on Thursday and could see the visitors take a 2-0 lead before heading home to Vegas.

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Mitch Marner did not elaborate his “dark moments” comment before Game 1

Following their Western Conference Final triumph, Mitch Marner claimed that there had been some “dark moments” in his career. Before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final, the forward did not elaborate his comments.

Mitch Marner
Mitch Marner (Image via Bleacher Report)

In a conversation with Shawn McKenzie of Sportsnet, Marner thanked his parents and his wife for their help during the “dark moments” of his career. While speaking with the reporters later, he doubled down on his comments and claimed that there were some “dark times” in his professional life.

It was a special moment. There’s been some dark times in hockey for myself.

Mitch Marner told the reporters after Golden Knights’ WCF win

The 29-year-old has not explained this comment. While speaking to the media, he claimed that he would speak on this if the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup.

I’ll talk about it in the coming weeks, if [Vegas wins the cup]. Right now, I’m just focused on getting (to) the job at hand and excited to start this up.

Mitch Marner told the reporters

Before his move to the Golden Knights, Marner spent 9 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was part of the ‘Core 4‘ of the team alongside John Tavares, William Nylander, and Auston Matthews.

Despite the star power, the Maple Leafs kept on struggling in the playoffs. In his 9-year tenure, the Canadian side won just 2 playoff series.

Marner and his teammates were criticized heavily for their performances in the playoffs. When he returned to Toronto earlier this year, he received a mixed reception from the fans at the Scotiabank Arena.

The forward is now 3 wins away from lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career. There will likely be more debates regarding this if the Las Vegas-based side can go all the way.

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