EDMONTON, Alberta — In a dramatic finale, Reilly Smith of the Vegas Golden Knights secured an unexpected 4-3 triumph over the Edmonton Oilers by scoring with just 0.4 seconds remaining in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinal on Saturday night. His shot ricocheted off the stick of Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, delivering a breath-taking conclusion and diminishing Edmonton’s series lead to 2-1.
Earlier, Edmonton’s star player, Connor McDavid, equalized the score at 3-3 with 3:02 left on the clock, after a centering pass bounced off Brayden McNabb of the Knights and found the net. Smith’s decisive shot was initially veering wide until Draisaitl’s stick redirected it.
Reflecting on the thrilling win, Smith noted, “Sometimes you just hope for the best and that one seemed to work out, thankfully I had enough time.” His goal marked the third-latest winning goal in playoff history during the final minute of regulation, with precise timekeeping using decimals by the NHL.
Defenseman Nicolas Hague from the Golden Knights remarked, “That was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen in a hockey game, but obviously it was a great play.” The match took a turn when Corey Perry’s brace put Edmonton ahead 2-0, but goals from Nicolas Roy and Smith within a 54-second interval late in the first period leveled the score.
William Karlsson then gave Vegas the lead with 2:55 left in the second period, finishing a clever give-and-go with Noah Hanifin against goalie Stuart Skinner. Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy praised his team’s determination, saying, “We know we got good character in the room. Obviously, we have to correct some of the things how we started. You don’t want to put yourself in that hole, but there’s a lot of hockey left, we know we have the ability to come back, we can score goals.”
Adin Hill, in goal for Vegas, made 17 saves during the game. As the teams look forward to Game 4, set for Monday night in Edmonton, Oilers player Corey Perry expressed the sentiment of his team’s narrow loss: “It’s probably more deflating losing the way we did, not getting to overtime. It’s happened twice to us in these playoffs. You use it as motivation.”
The game also saw Vegas rally after forward Mark Stone exited early due to an upper-body injury. Roy, fresh from a day where he was fined for an incident in Game 2, reduced Edmonton’s lead with a rebound goal. Shortly after, Smith squeezed a backhand shot through Skinner’s pads, knotting the game before the period’s conclusion.
Edmonton’s Skinner stopped 20 shots, stepping in for the sidelined Calvin Pickard, who was injured in Game 2 when Tomas Hertl of the Knights fell awkwardly on him. As the electrifying series continues, fans eagerly anticipate the next showdown.