Reilly Smith beat the buzzer against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night, delivering a must-win Game 3 to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Smith scored two goals in the 4-3 win and saved his best for last, sending a shot around goaltender Stuart Skinner and off Leon Draisaitl’s stick to win the game with 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock.
The 34-year-old forward immediately started celebrating his goal, but on-ice officials initially waved it off. A quick review process corrected the call on the ice after replays showed the puck clearly hit the back bar in Edmonton’s net. The Golden Knights needed the win to stave off falling into a 3-0 series hole with Game 4 in Edmonton on Monday night.
“From my angle, it seemed like it hit the middle bar, but it came out so fast I wasn’t really sure if the time expired,” Smith told the NHL on TNT panel postgame. “And then I take a peek at the ref, and he’s telling me, ‘It didn’t go in,’ so just fortunate we were able to get something with time running down there.”
The Golden Knights were forced to come from behind in the game after Corey Perry struck twice for the Oilers to put Edmonton up 2-0 in the first period. Vegas responded with two goals of their own from Smith and Nicolas Roy in a 54-second span to go into the second with the game tied.
A late second-period strike from William Karlsson looked like it would stand as the game-winner until Connor McDavid scored his third goal of the playoffs with just 3:02 remaining in the third.
Smith’s goal allowed the Golden Knights to avoid another overtime period against the Oilers after McDavid and Draisaitl combined on a goal to win Game 2 in the first sudden-death frame. Vegas was also without star forward Mark Stone after he left earlier in the game with an undisclosed injury and did not return.
Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Smith’s goal was the third-latest regulation game-winner in NHL playoff history.
The Golden Knights acquired Smith from the New York Rangers at the trade deadline in exchange for forward Brendan Brisson and a 2025 third-round draft pick. Smith previously spent six seasons in Vegas, playing in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final against the Washington Capitals and winning the 2023 Stanley Cup against the Florida Panthers.
In 97 career playoff games for the Golden Knights, Smith has recorded 70 points (21g, 49a).
