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Reilly Smith saves season with last-second goal as Golden Knights stun Oilers 4-3

   

The Vegas Golden Knights pulled off a miraculous 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the second-round series Saturday night at Rogers Place.

Reilly Smith’s heroics with 0.4 seconds left in regulation secured the critical win for the Golden Knights, who were able to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole and instead now trail the best-of-seven series 2-1.

The Golden Knights were up 3-2 late in the third period but saw that lead vanish when Connor McDavid tied the game with 3:02 remaining. It appeared as though the Pacific Division rivals were headed for overtime for the second game in a row, but William Karlsson and Smith teamed up with the buzzer beater to steal the win.

It was the second time the Golden Knights reclaimed the momentum in Game 3, as Edmonton took control early by getting on the board first for the first time in the series.

Corey Perry opened the scoring 7:19 into the contest, demonstrating patience in the slot before beating Adin Hill for his fourth of the postseason. It was a rough sequence for Vegas, with Mark Stone falling in the neutral zone and Nicolas Hague getting burned on a pinch.

The Golden Knights had a glorious chance to answer after Evander Kane took a run at Alex Pietrangelo, but Stuart Skinner made a few key stops on the penalty kill before Leon Draisaitl hit the crossbar at the other end. Vegas took a penalty on the next shift, setting up a massive opportunity for the Oilers to take a 2-0 lead midway through the opening frame.

The Oilers did just that, breaking through on the power play for the first time in the series as Perry redirected Evan Bouchard’s blast from the point. Perry’s second in under five minutes doubled the home team’s lead at 11:12.

Vegas responded with a close call for Smith on the backdoor, but he and Karlsson were unable to connect. However, the Golden Knights stormed right back with two goals in the span of 54 seconds.

First, Nicolas Roy cut the deficit in half, taking advantage of a juicy rebound from Skinner off a Hague slapper.

Then, Smith officially reset the score on a gorgeous one-on-two move, making his way through two defenders before freezing Skinner and sliding the puck five-hole at 16:11.

Hill did his part with a fantastic pad save on a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins rebound in front, saving what looked like a sure goal to keep the game tied after 20 minutes.

Stone did not play the final 6:20 of the period and did not return to the game due to an upper-body injury. He appeared to suffer the injury after making contact with Perry when he fell prior to the Oilers’ first goal. He played one more shift after that before heading to the locker room.

It took a while for the Golden Knights to get to their north-south game, but Roy and Smith helped Vegas stop the bleeding and recover after falling behind early.

After a busy first period, only one puck crossed the goal line in the second.

It came following an extended cycle shift for the Golden Knights, who then took advantage of a sloppy change by the Oilers. Karlsson and Noah Hanifin completed a give-and-go before Karlsson fired the puck past Skinner to give Vegas its first lead of the game with 2:55 left. It was the Golden Knights’ third straight goal.

Both teams had a power play in the second but were unable to convert. The Golden Knights looked lost on the man-advantage without Stone but were able to get out of the period with the one-goal lead.

The Golden Knights had some chances but started to sit back in the third period. Hill came up with several clutch stops, especially when he robbed McDavid in front. But McDavid would not be denied, as he threw a puck towards the net that deflected past Hill to tie the game at 16:58.

Even so, it was the Original Misfits who had the last say.

After an excellent forecheck by Karlsson, Smith redefined the term “buzzer beater” when he scored with just 0.4 seconds on the clock. The puck deflected off Draisaitl’s stick and hit the back of the cage. The play was reviewed, but the referees quickly confirmed that it was a good goal, leaving the home crowd in silent disbelief as the Golden Knights celebrated and made their way off the ice.

It was just the second goal scored in the final second of regulation in Stanley Cup playoff history.

“I think from my angle, it seemed like it hit the middle bar, but it came out so fast so I wasn’t really sure if time expired,” Smith said. “Moments like that, you just gotta take it and run with it. It’s a big win for our group, and we just gotta keep that momentum.”

It was Hague who most accurately captured the moment, however.

“That was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen in a hockey game,” he said.

After a devastating loss in Game 2 and with their season on the line, the Golden Knights played a really solid road game in Game 3 and managed to overcome plenty of adversity. They gave up the first goal, surrendered a power-play goal for the first time in the series, trailed 2-0 early, lost their captain to an injury and then blew a late lead against an Oilers team that had rallied in six straight.

But Vegas had the answer each and every time.

When the game seemed to be getting away from Vegas early, Roy and Smith stepped up to help the Golden Knights reset and regroup.

Hill made a number of key saves throughout the game, including on Nugent-Hopkins early and on McDavid with the narrow lead in the third. Overall, Vegas delivered quite an impressive defensive effort in the final 50 minutes of play. The McDavid equalizer was unfortunate, but all things considered, Vegas allowed just 20 shots the entire game.

The Golden Knights had extended shifts on the cycle to keep the puck in Edmonton’s end, and their zone time and forecheck forced Edmonton into a sloppy change for Karlsson’s go-ahead goal in the second.

The penalty kill took care of business on Edmonton’s only other power play of the game, Smith stepped up in Stone’s absence, Karlsson had a whale of a game when the Golden Knights needed him most, and Vegas got the depth production it desperately needed. Jack Eichel had another strong game, but it was Karlsson and Smith who led the way, and players like Tanner Pearson, Keegan Kolesar and Tomas Hertl were much more noticeable. Hanifin also had a great game, and Pietrangelo had one of his better games of the playoffs.

The Golden Knights needed to play as a team. Even with Brayden McNabb not at 100 percent and Stone out of commission, the Golden Knights rallied and won together.

“You never want to see Stoney go down like that, but I think every team has the idea where it’s next man up,” Smith said. “You gotta fill those shoes, and you try to fill that void with a committee.”

Bruce Cassidy said Stone is considered day-to-day but did not rule him out for Game 4.

For the most part, the Golden Knights did a solid job containing — or at least limiting — McDavid and Draisaitl. Keeping them off the scoresheet entirely is virtually impossible, especially without last change and without Stone. But the Golden Knights prevented the Oilers’ stars from taking over the series.

One thing that almost proved costly was Vegas’ inability to extend the lead, which was a struggle in the first two games of the series as well. At 3-2, the Golden Knights could have used another goal (or two) in the third period.

“You can’t sit back against a team like Edmonton,” Smith said. “You gotta keep your foot on the gas. I think we did a good job for most of the game. I think a bit of the third period we sat back a little too much, and obviously they got back into it.”

But once again, the Golden Knights had the answer. However improbable Smith’s goal may have been, it was absolutely crucial for the sake of Vegas’ season. Going to overtime would have opened things up for Edmonton to take a 3-0 stranglehold on the series. Instead, the Golden Knights were able to avoid that risk and prevent that fate. They’ll now have a chance to even the series Monday night in Game 4.

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