St. Pauli and Heidenheim relegated on Bundesliga's last day

BERLIN (AP) — St. Pauli and Heidenheim were relegated from the Bundesliga while Wolfsburg grabbed the last chance for survival on a dramatic last day of the season on Saturday.

Wolfsburg won a relegation decider at St. Pauli 3-1 to send the home team down and qualify for a playoff where it will be favored against the third-place finisher from the second division to decide which plays in the top division next season.

Heidenheim, which had been level with Wolfsburg and St. Pauli going into the final round, needed a win at home against Mainz to keep alive its hopes but it slumped to a 2-0 loss.

The last two are automatically relegated to the second division.

Both demoted teams were given shows of support and appreciation by their fans despite their disappointment.

St. Pauli's defeat extended its winless run to 10 games and left it bottom of the table, but the fans still held their scarves aloft in solidarity.

It was similar in Heidenheim, where the team's coach of nearly 19 years, Frank Schmidt, expressed how grateful he was.

“To be relegated like this, and yet you go over to our fans and flags are being waved. You really have to let that sink in. It's something you don’t see very often,” Schmidt said. “I wish society, us here in Germany, had the kind of solidarity that we have within this club.”

Stuttgart held on for the last Champions League qualification spot despite conceding two late goals in a 2-2 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt, denying Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen their chance.

Both rivals were hoping for a favor from Frankfurt but they failed to win in any case. Hoffenheim lost at Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-0 and Leverkusen could only draw with Hamburger SV 1-1.

Jonathan Burkardt scored two late penalties for Frankfurt, which endured a tumultuous end to the season under new coach Albert Riera, who fell out with Burkardt and was the subject of protests from the home fans.

“Thanks for nothing, Alberto,” read one banner.

Harry Kane scored a hat trick to take his season tally to 36 Bundesliga goals in league champion Bayern Munich ’s 5-1 win at home over Cologne.

Leon Goretzka started his last Bundesliga game with Bayern, which was presented with the league trophy after the game.

Bayern captain Manuel Neuer, who extended his contract the day before, gave the “salad bowl” trophy to Goretzka to hoist to the sky to start the celebrations. The customary beer showers started soon afterward with Dayot Upamecano dousing coach Vincent Kompany.

Bayern next faces defending champion Stuttgart in the German Cup final in Berlin’s Olympiastadion next Saturday.

Marie-Louise Eta oversaw her second win in charge of Union Berlin as her team ended the season with a 4-0 rout of visiting Augsburg.

Eta, the first female coach in the Bundesliga, is next slated to take over Union’s women’s team, though she may face calls to stay in charge of the men's after finishing with a draw and two wins from her five games at the helm.

Second-placed Borussia Dortmund finished with a 2-0 win at Werder Bremen, and Freiburg enjoyed a 4-1 win at home over third-placed Leipzig.

Freiburg next faces Aston Villa in the Europa League final in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Second-division champion Schalke will be back in the Bundesliga next season, while three teams — Elversberg, Hannover and Paderborn — are bidding on Sunday to join the Gelsenkirchen-based club. One of the three will face Wolfsburg in the playoff, with the first leg of their contest in Wolfsburg on Thursday.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Heidenheim players after the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Heidenheim and FSV Mainz 05 in Heidenheim, Germany, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Jan-Philipp Strobel/dpa via AP)

Bayern's Leon Goretzka leaves the pitch during a Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern and FC Cologne in Munich, Germany, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern's Harry Kane celebrates after scoring during a Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern and FC Cologne in Munich, Germany, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

St. Pauli's Arkadiusz Pyrka, left, and Wolfsburg's Joakim Maehle fight for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and VfL Wolfsburg in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)

Wolfsburg's players celebrate after their second goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and VfL Wolfsburg in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)

St. Pauli's Jackson Irvine in action during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC St. Pauli and VfL Wolfsburg in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Christian Charisius/dpa via AP)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Conn Smythe favorite Mitch Marner had a natural hat trick in the second period to help the Vegas Golden Knights build a four-goal lead over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

The 4-0 advantage didn't last, as Carolina answered with four goals in the third period to force overtime for the second straight game. Carolina overcame a 2-0 deficit and won Game 2 in overtime when Seth Jarvis scored during a power play 3:56 into the extra frame.

Despite a total of 13 shots for both teams, neither could score in the first overtime, with Vegas goalie Carter Hart stopping six shots and Carolina's Brandon Bussi making seven saves.

It's Carolina's seventh overtime game of the playoffs, and Vegas fifth trip to extra time.

Tomas Hertl broke a scoreless tie midway through the second, after Vegas opened the stanza by having two goals overturned by challenges.

Marner’s first goal came when he gathered a loose puck near the boards and fired a backhander into the crease, where Carolina defenseman Sean Walker accidentally deflected the puck past Frederik Andersen.

Less than four minutes later, Marner gracefully deked around Andersen and slipped the puck into the net with relative ease to make it 3-0.

Then, with a little more than three minutes left in the period, the 10-year veteran blasted a shot from the right circle, triggering throngs of hats being thrown on the ice. It was the fastest natural hat trick in Stanley Cup history at 6:10.

“I can’t do it by myself, that’s for sure,” Marner said during a television interview between periods. “All five guys have been on a great page. I’ve liked our line’s play for the last month.”

Marner also assisted on Hertl’s goal. His four points are tied for the most in a single period since 1919.

Marner’s 28 points are the most by any player in NHL history in his first postseason with a new team

The 29-year-old has 10 goals in 19 playoff games with the Golden Knights. He had 13 goals in 70 playoff games during his nine years with Toronto.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, left, celebrates his goal as Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker, right, skates behind during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series, Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner, right, scores on Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner celebrates his goal with defenseman Shea Theodore, an own goal by the Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker, during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen, right, stops a shot by Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mitch Marner during the second period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)