NHL Drama at Its Finest: Heartbreaking Defeat for Oilers as Draisaitl's "Gaffe" Seals The Fate
Dramatic finale: Draisaitl's "Owners' Door" closed on Oilers' appeal
Share Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on WhatsApp Email this Article Print this Article Copy Link Bitter End for the Oilers: Superstar Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton team suffer a disappointing loss in Game 3 of their series against the Vegas Golden Knights, thanks to a fluky bounce at the worst possible moment.
With moments to go, the Rogers Place crowd was on the edge of their seats, pumped for overtime. However, fate had other plans as the Vegas squad managed an improbable last-ditch effort. Reilly Smith tried his shot from an unsuspecting angle, and skipped off Draisaitl's stick, sneaking into the net as the clock struck zero. The final score: Vegas 4, Oilers 3 - tightening the series to 1-2.
Reacting to the heartbreaking event, Draisaitl addressed the team's defensive mistakes before the decisive goal, "We didn't hold our ground. Then came the unfortunate bounce - the puck took a wicked deflection off my stick."
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Two days prior, the Oilers clinched a win in Game 2, all thanks to Draisaitl's heroics in overtime. However, this time around, tragedy struck - Smith was credited with the goal, although it appeared as if it was Draisaitl who had a rare own-goal. According to ESPN's statistics, no goal has been scored this late in regulation time during NHL playoffs throughout history.
"It's never a good feeling to lose like that," Draisaitl commented after the game, looking ahead: "Tomorrow's a new day. It's good to still be in the lead 2-1. Our goal is to move to a 3-1 advantage before the series shifts to Vegas." In Game 2 of the day, the Carolina Hurricanes dominated the Washington Capitals at home, securing a 4-0 victory and taking a 2-1 series lead.
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- Leon Draisaitl
Did you know?- NHL playoffs in recent history have seen quite a few dramatic last-minute goals. Over 14 game-tying goals have been scored in the final 10 minutes of regulation, tying the record set in 1989.[3]- A similar late-game miracle happened in the 2025 playoffs, when Cole Perfetti scored an electric tying goal for the Winnipeg Jets with just one second remaining in regulation.[1]- Coincedence or Fate? Remarkably, just days before Draisaitl's potential own-goal, the Vegas Golden Knights scored a stunning last-second game-winning goal against the very same Edmonton Oilers.[5]
- Leon Draisaitl's deflected shot in Game 3 proved to be a heartbreaking moment for the Edmonton Oilers, as it sealed their defeat at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights.
- Draisaitl acknowledged his team's defensive lapses leading up to the decisive goal, but remains optimistic about their chances in the series, aiming for a 3-1 lead before the series shifts to Vegas.
- In a strange coincidence or twisted fate, similar last-second heroics were witnessed in the NHL playoffs recently, with Cole Perfetti scoring for the Winnipeg Jets just a second before time expired.
- Often in NHL playoffs, drama unfolds in the final moments, as over 14 game-tying goals have been scored in the final 10 minutes of regulation time, matching the record set in 1989.
