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Oilers' Leon Draisaitl Makes Brutal Admission on Reilly Smith's Game 3 Goal

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated May 11, 2025 6:56 AM ET

The Edmonton Oilers were less than a second away from forcing overtime in Game 3 of their second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Instead, they watched a harmless-looking shot by Reilly Smith getting redirected off Leon Draisaitl’s stick and into their net with 0.4 seconds left for the final 4-3 win in favor of Vegas.

Draisaitl didn’t avoid commenting on the play after the game, discussing the unlucky moment and explaining why he acted the way he did on the ice and acknowledging the own-goal off his stick.

“We didn’t sort it out very well, to let the puck get into the slot,” Draisaitl said. “After that, it’s just unlucky. It’s unfortunate.

"It goes off my stick—I’m just trying to keep it out of the net, obviously. It’s just a bad bounce."

"It goes off my stick, I'm just trying to keep it out of the net obviously, and it's just a bad bounce"

Leon Draisaitl on the own goal with 0.4 seconds on the clock that sealed the game for Vegas. pic.twitter.com/LsApPzVqNs
— BarDown (@BarDown) May 11, 2025

Smith’s shot was fired from a sharp angle and appeared to be heading wide before Draisaitl, in an attempt to cut off the lane, inadvertently redirected it into goaltender Stuart Skinner's goal with the netminder outside of position and the puck already past him.

The goal stunned the Rogers Place crowd and trimmed Edmonton’s series lead to 2-1 instead of moving the Oilers up to a 3-0 lead.

Draisaitl finished with two assists, but his last-second miscue will overshadow all the good he did on offense for the Oilers in the minds of Edmonton's fans.

“The game-winning goal, we’re in good position,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Really, it’s a one-on-three. He dumps the puck in, they retrieve it. We’re playing a little desperate to try and block a shot. They make a play, and unfortunately, that’s the end of it.

“Everyone on the ice is in desperation mode, selling out to make that last save. Unfortunately, there was an extra 0.4 seconds on the clock to make that play happen.”

Game 4 between the Oilers and the Golden Knights is scheduled for Monday at Rogers Place with puck drop set at 9:30 p.m. ET.

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

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