Reilly Smith scored the buzzer-beater of all buzzer-beaters on Saturday night to give the Vegas Golden Knights new life in their Western Conference Second Round series against the Edmonton Oilers.
Smith became the third player in NHL history to score a game-winning goal in the final second of regulation when his shot deflected off the stick of Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl and into the net with 0.4 seconds left, giving Vegas a 4-3 win and cutting the Oilers’ lead in the best-of-7 series to 2-1.
With time running out, Smith took William Karlsson’s pass in the high slot, drew two defenders to the ice and cut into the lower left circle. Goalie Stuart Skinner came out to challenge him, and Smith was near the goal line when he flung the puck toward the net. It went past Skinner but would have slid harmlessly through the crease – except for Draisaitl’s stick.
“It hit the metal bar (in the back of the net),” Smith told TNT. “It came out so fast, and the ref (Garrett Rank) told me the puck didn’t go in.”
Rank indeed waved off the goal. But a few seconds later, the Golden Knights began jumping up and down in celebration – and a quick video review showed that the puck indeed had gone in the net and done so before time expired.
Golden Knights defeat Oilers on Reilly Smith’s last-second goal
The Oilers led 2-0 after Corey Perry scored his second goal of the game at 11:12 of the first period. But Nicholas Roy and Smith scored 54 seconds apart to even the game at 2-2 after one period.
Karlsson’s goal at 17:05 of the second period put the Golden Knights in front for the first time, but Connor McDavid’s shot-pass hit the skate of Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb and went past Adin Hill with 3:02 remaining in regulation to tie the game 3-3.
However, instead of having to go to overtime, the Golden Knights gave themselves a chance to even the series by winning Game 4 on Monday night.
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3 takeaways after Golden Knights top Oilers 4-3 in Game 3
1. ‘Original Misfit’ comes through for Vegas
Smith and Karlsson were members of the first-year Golden Knights, who shocked the hockey world by making the Stanley Cup Final in 2017-18, their first season in the NHL. Both were part of the 2023 Cup-winning team, though Smith was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins shortly after Vegas won the championship, then spent most of this season with the New York Rangers before coming back to Vegas at the NHL Trade Deadline.
A first-period injury to top-six forward Mark Stone gave Smith more ice time, and he made the most of it – his two goals were one more than he’d scored in Vegas’ first eight playoff games this year.
“It was nice to get a little more ice time,” said Smith, who played 16:48, his highest total in the series.
Smith joined Nazem Kadri of the Colorado Avalanche (0.1 seconds remaining on Aug. 2, 2020), and Jussi Jokinen of the Carolina Hurricanes (0.2 seconds remaining on April 21, 2009) as the only players credited with a game-winning goal in the final second of a playoff game.
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2. Stuart Skinner struggles in return
Skinner made his first start since April 23, when he allowed five goals on 28 shots before being pulled in a 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in Game 2 of the first round. Calvin Pickard finished up, then won six consecutive games as the Oilers eliminated the Kings and won the first two games against Vegas on the road.
But Pickard, despite finishing a 5-4 overtime win in Game 2, was too hurt to make his seventh consecutive start – and Skinner wasn’t good enough despite being handed an early two-goal lead.
Roy’s goal came on a rebound after Skinner stopped but couldn’t control Nicholas Hague’s shot. Smith undressed him on the game-tying goal, ultimately tucking the puck between the goaltender’s legs. He was late to the short-side post on Karlsson’s goal.
Skinner made a handful of fine stops to keep his team in the game after Vegas went ahead. But he slid out too far when Smith came out at him as time was running out, though the goal itself wasn’t his fault.
The Oilers said before the game that Pickard is day to day with a lower-body injury. If he’s not ready to go in Game 4, they need Skinner to be a lot better than he was in Game 3.
3. Oilers can’t hold early lead
Edmonton has been the king of comebacks during this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, piling up an NHL-record six straight come-from-behind wins, including two multi-goal comebacks and three in which they trailed entering the third period.
Playing from ahead didn’t work as well.
The Oilers won Games 1 and 2 in Vegas and had Rogers Place rocking after Perry’s two goals gave them an early lead in Game 3. But the quick response by the Golden Knights quieted the crowd of 18,347, who were mostly silent until McDavid’s fluke goal tied the game – only to be stunned into silence by Smith’s late game-winner.
It was the seventh multi-goal comeback win in this year’s playoffs, and easily the most painful for the losing team.