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NHL Sends Message to Vegas’ Reilly Smith After Last-Second Winner vs. Oilers

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated May 11, 2025 5:26 AM ET

The Vegas Golden Knights could not have waited any longer to find their moment at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers.

Reilly Smith delivered a historic game-winning goal for Vegas, as he hit the net on a deflection with just 0.4 seconds left in regulation, breaking a 3-3 tie and making it 4-3 for the Golden Knights.

With the Western Conference second-round series on the line and Edmonton entering the game with a commanding 2-0 lead, Smith’s last-second goal stunned the home crowd in Edmonton and cut the Oilers’ series lead to 2-1.

“I think if I try to shoot that, it’s getting stopped if not by the first guy or the second guy or the goalie. Sometimes you just hope for the best and that one seemed to work out, thankfully I had enough time.”

A BUZZER BEATER OF ALL BUZZER BEATERS

REILLY SMITH WINS IT FOR VEGAS WITH 0.4 SECONDS LEFT IN REGULATION!!! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/PZIGMQE1Ba
— NHL (@NHL) May 11, 2025

The NHL acknowledged the dramatic moment on X shortly after it happened, once the on-ice review confirmed the goal.

“A BUZZER BEATER OF ALL BUZZER BEATERS REILLY SMITH WINS IT FOR VEGAS WITH 0.4 SECONDS LEFT IN REGULATION!!! #StanleyCup”

According to StatsCenter, Smith’s goal tied Nazem Kadri and Jussi Jokinen for the latest go-ahead goal in Stanley Cup Playoff history.

The Oilers had tied the game 3-3 on a Connor McDavid goal with just over three minutes left. With less than a second remaining, however, Smith deked past a sliding Darnell Nurse, went around goalie Stuart Skinner, and attempted a desperate shot from below the circle.

The puck bounced off Leon Draisaitl’s stick and into the net with 0.4 seconds left. Draisaitl, who tipped the puck into his own net, called it “just a bad bounce.”

“I'm just trying to keep it out of the net, obviously," Draisaitl said. "It’s just a bad bounce.”

Smith now has three goals in the series and has stepped up in the absence of Vegas captain Mark Stone, who exited with an upper-body injury in the first period.

The series continues with Game 4 on Monday in Edmonton before the series returns to Vegas for Game 5.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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