7 Observations: INSANITY! Golden Knights Flip Script, Stun Oilers

In a must-win Game 3, the Vegas Golden Knights showed exactly what they are made of. The night couldn’t have started worse for the Golden Knights. It also couldn’t have ended better. They overcame an early 2-0 deficit, then broke a 3-3 tie with .4 seconds remaining in the third period to stun the Edmonton Oilers with a 4-3 win.

The Oilers broke the ice 7:19 into the first period. Leon Draisaitl won a board battle against Nic Hague and chipped the puck to Connor McDavid, who entered the zone. McDavid sent Corey Perry a cross-ice pass; Perry danced around Ivan Barbashev into the slot and beat Adin Hill clean. 

​​The Oilers extended their lead at 11:12 in the first period on the power play. Corey Perry, parked atop the crease, redirected Evan Bouchard’s wrister past Adin Hill. 

At that point, the Golden Knights looked gassed. They looked dead in the water. But hockey is a game of momentum swings, and in Game 3, there was no shortage of those.

The Golden Knights got on the board at 15:17 in the first period. Nic Roy forced a turnover at the Golden Knights’ blueline and raced up ice on a 2-on-1 with Tanner Pearson. He maneuvered around a sliding Darnell Nurse and slid the puck through the crease, barely missing Pearson’s stick. Nic Hague jumped into the play and blasted a shot that Stuart Skinner awkwardly denied, and Roy chipped in the rebound.

The Golden Knights found the equalizer just 54 seconds later. Zach Whitecloud banked a stretch pass to Jack Eichel, who found Reilly Smith at center ice. Smith dangled through Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson and went forehand-backhand to beat Stuart Skinner five-hole. 

Just like that, it was an entirely new game.

Read More: Golden Knights Notebook: Missed Call, Injuries, Looming Suspension?

The Golden Knights took the lead at 17:05 in the second period. William Karlsson retrieved the puck at center ice after an Oilers clear and drove past Mattias Janmark into the zone. He baited Darnell Nurse into going down and slid the puck to Noah Hanifin. Hanifin sent it right back, and Karlsson slammed the puck over Stuart Skinner’s pad and into the net. 

The Golden Knights played very well with the lead and held the Oilers to just three shots on goal for the first 16:30 of the third period. But, in the end, the Oilers were inevitable. 

The Oilers tied the game with 3:02 remaining in the third period. Leon Draisaitl won an offensive zone face-off, and Connor McDavid banked a pass to Evan Bouchard at the point. Bouchard passed back, and McDavid threw a centering pass toward the net that bounced off Brayden McNabb’s skate and past Adin Hill. 

The Golden Knights seemed fated to head to overtime for the second straight game. And then, magic.

With 10 seconds remaining in regulation, William Karlsson avoided Leon Draisaitl, flew through the neutral zone, and chipped the puck into Edmonton’s zone. He beat Brett Kulak to the puck, flung a centering pass to the slot, and connected with Reilly Smith. Smith faked a slapshot, got around a sliding Darnell Nurse, and waited out and danced around Stuart Skinner. 

With .4 seconds remaining in regulation, Smith got a shot off. It was going well wide… but it careened off Leon Draisaitl’s outstretched stick and into the vacant net.

Three stars of the game: Reilly Smith, Connor McDavid, William Karlsson

7 Golden Knights Observations

1. I don’t think anyone expected Brayden McNabb to play Game 3. And yet, when the Golden Knights took the ice for warmups, he was among them. He was his usual self– he blocked shots, threw hits, and played 19:39.

2. Mark Stone exited the game in the second period. He caught an edge in the neutral zone and fell awkwardly, and his head made contact with Corey Perry’s knee. Stone played three more shifts before heading down the tunnel for good.

“[Stone] will be listed as day-to-day; we’ll see tomorrow how he’s feeling,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy postgame. “He didn’t return, we saw that, but that doesn’t preclude him from playing the next game. We’ll know more tomorrow.”

3. No one needed that bounce-back game quite like Adin Hill. The Oilers struggled to test him in the third period, but Hill stood tall when called upon. The Golden Knights need Hill to carry this momentum into Game 4 as they look to tie the series.

Read More: Golden Knights Catch Break, Roy Fined by DoPS; CBA Explained

4. Nic Roy escaped suspension for his cross-check on Trent Frederic in Game 2. Without him, I’m not sure that the Golden Knights would have won Game 3. The Oilers were in complete control, and Roy’s goal seemed to rattle Stuart Skinner’s confidence. He made the play happen and finished it off around the net. Now, he just needs to stay out of the penalty box.

5. William Karlsson. Wild Bill. This guy is a certified big-game performer. I thought he was far and away the best Golden Knight in Game 3. When the team needed him most, he rose to the occasion, and did so in a big way. He single-handedly created his go-ahead goal in the second period. Karlsson played to the whistle on Reilly Smith’s game-winner, getting the puck into the Oilers zone and hustling to the puck. The Golden Knights needed a hero, and Karlsson wore a cape in Game 3. 

6. What a game from Reilly Smith. He was easily one of the best Golden Knights on the ice on Saturday, with and without the puck. Smith made a poor play in Game 2 that led to Edmonton’s third goal; in Game 3, he looked determined not to let that happen again. He was flying every shift. With Stone’s status up in the air, the Golden Knights will need that version of Smith in Game 4.

7. Smith’s game-winner was the third-latest game-winning goal in Stanley Cup Playoffs history.

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