Reilly Smith in action late as the Golden Knights veer away from the Indiana Oilers’ scare in the Western Conference thriller | NHL News

With a breathtaking finish in Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place, the Vegas Golden Knights kept their playoff hopes alive. Facing a dire possibility of a 3-0 hole in the series, Vegas overcame early adversity through heroics from Reilly Smith. With less than 0.3 seconds remaining, Smith scored from a spectacular passing play, igniting a huge wave of momentum for his Golden Knights into the Western Conference Second Round at 2-1 against the Oilers.

Reilly Smith and William Karlsson dominate on the comeback, early exit by Mark Stone

The Vegas squad was thrown in at the deep end early in the game when Captain Mark Stone was forced off the ice in the first period with an upper-body injury. The incident proved to be an emotional yet galvanizing spur for the team. The Oilers were fast out of the gates, with Corey Perry scoring two goals, the second being a power-play deflection just past midway through the opening frame. In an outbreak of offensive wizardry, Connor McDavid set up Perry’s opener and late in the third assessed with a sharp-angle effort to tie the game. The Golden Knights would prove they were hard to keep down, and Lieutenant Roy and Reilly Smith brought life to the arena and electrified the crowd for the second time in less than a minute. Nicolas Roy’s goal near the crease injected life into the Golden Knights: barely one minute later, Reilly Smith split the defenders and beat Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner five-hole. That was the turning moment, and the stage was now set for William Karlsson, who did not miss a beat and scored a go-ahead goal in the second period, finishing a one-two give-and-go with Noah Hanifin.Adin Hill held steady between the pipes for Vegas, turning aside 17 shots, while Stuart Skinner faced 24 with 20 stops for Edmonton. In the dying seconds of regulation, it was Smith who made a difference again: after a forecheck from Karlsson, Smith faked a shot, slid past a diving Darnell Nurse, and angled the puck sharply across the crease, a shot deflected into the net by Leon Draisaitl, silencing the Oregon crowd.Also Read:NHL playoff predictions: Can the Toronto Maple Leafs finally break the curse while Carolina Hurricanes aim to shut down the Washington Capitals?Right now, the Golden Knights are showing signs of rekindling their playoff hopes, with the disposition of the series being 2-1. This spells glory for Reilly Smith, whose clutch performance offered hope for a rallying Vegas team lacking Mark Stone. The proverbial game-changer-the 4th game-from here on will carry higher stakes, with both desperate to seize control.