Chaotic Finale: Disaster Strikes for Oilers as Draisaitl's "Screw-Up" Seals Defeat
Final act: Draisaitl seals "Ownership Gate" with Oilers' appeal
Reddit Instagram Snapchat Message Mail Print Copy Link Share
In a jaw-dropping turn of events, the Edmonton Oilers, spearheaded by star player Leon Draisaitl, plummet to a gut-wrenching loss in Game 3 of their series against the Vegas Golden Knights. As the final seconds counted down, fans at Rogers Place could feel the tension building, bracing themselves for overtime. But a shocking, desperate move by Vegas changed everything. Reilly Smith launched a shot from a sharp angle - and, bouncing off Draisaitl's stick, found the back of the net with a mere 0.4 seconds remaining in regulation. The Oilers were defeated 3-4, leaving the series at 1-2 in favor of the Las Vegas team.
"We were lackluster on defense," Draisaitl admitted post-game, before sharing his regret over the decisive play: "Then it was just a fluke, bloody unlucky I guess. The puck ricocheted off my stick and I was just trying to bat it out of bounds. It was an idiotic deflection."
The Latest Heartbreaker in Playoff History (Almost)
Two days ago, the Edmonton Oilers snatched victory in Game 2 thanks to Draisaitl's overtime goal. But in hockey, there are no such things as own goals - so this time, the tally went to Smith[1]. According to ESPN's records, this could be the latest goal scored in NHL playoff history[2]. However, researching the latest goal scored at the very last moment of regulation time in NHL playoff history was inconclusive, as it seems quite rare[3].
"It's a bloody unfortunate way to lose," Draisaitl, who assisted on the 1-0 and 3-3 goals, lamented, before looking ahead: "Tomorrow marks a new day. It's great being up 2-1. Day after tomorrow, we aim to go 3-1 before heading to Vegas." In the second game of the day, the Carolina Hurricanes dominated the Washington Capitals in their own arena, winning 4-0 and taking a 2-1 series lead.
- NHL
- Ice Hockey
- Leon Draisaitl
[1] https://www.espn.com/nhl/game?gameId=401348654[2] https://www.espn.com/nhl/playoffs/2023/scores[3] https://www.nhl.com/stats/goals-by-minute-and-seconds-season?reportType=gameScore&teamId=847616&gameType=2&seasonFrom=20192020&seasonTo=20232024[4] https://www.nhl.com/news/latest-nhl-late-game-winning-goals/c-320496532
- The gut-wrenching loss of the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the NHL series against the Vegas Golden Knights was a heartbreaking end to a thrilling game, with Leon Draisaitl admitting his "screw-up" in the final seconds, resulting in the game-winning goal by Reilly Smith.
- Leon Draisaitl's devastating own goal against the Vegas Golden Knights will be remembered as one of the latest goals scored in NHL playoff history, overshadowing his previous overtime heroics in Game 2, as the Oilers aim to bounce back in the next game.
