Reilly Smith’s Game 3 Buzzer-Beater Stuns Oilers: Who To Blame?

In one of the most dramatic finishes of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs so far, Reilly Smith of the Vegas Golden Knights scored with just 0.4 seconds left on the clock to secure a 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their second-round series. The stunning goal came just seconds after Connor McDavid of the Oilers tied the game, and it looked like the contest was headed into overtime.

Questions after the game were mostly about who to blame. Does Stuart Skinner take the heat because of how he played the game’s final shot? Or does Leon Draisaitl get blamed because he put the puck in his net?

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Skinner said after the game that it wasn’t the result the Oilers wanted but good bounces and tough bounces happen to everybody. Draisaitl noted, “We didn’t sort it out very well to let the puck get into the slot. After that, it’s unlucky, it’s unfortunate. It goes off my stick, and I’m just trying to keep it out of the net. He too said, “It’s just a bad bounce.”

Head coach Kris Knoblauch stood up for his goaltender. He said, “It was a rough situation to come in. He made some really good saves for us. There were no bad goals.”

How Did This Game Get Away from the Oilers?

The reality is that the Oilers might have tied this game with little time on the clock, but they were trending in the wrong direction before things got dramatic. Edmonton struggled when the Golden Knights tried to hold their 3-2 lead, slowing the game down and taking away chances and rushes that could amount to anything.

The Oilers had jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and seemed poised to take Game 3 without much issue. Suddenly, two quick goals by Vegas tied things up, and the Oilers struggled. It’s fair to say that neither Skinner nor Draisaitl had their best games. The finger-pointing online is mixed.

Did Skinner make a bad read and get himself out of position? Was this on Draisaitl for trying to play goalie and putting the puck in his own goal?

Draisaitl Taking Most of the Heat

Both players are feeling the heat from fans, but Draisaitl appears to be taking most of the heat. And, it’s not just because of the game’s final play.

Kevin McCurdy of The Edmonton Journal writes:

“…this may be one of the worst games I’ve seen him play in an Oilers uniform, certainly in recent memory. Got pickpocketed on the first goal against, leading to a two-on-one, mostly due to not enough speed through the neutral zone. Extremely sloppy line changes multiple times tonight, including an awful line change on the third goal against. Massively over-pinched on the final goal against, then on the backtrack poked a puck that was going wide directly into his own net with 0.4 seconds left. In addition to these costly mistakes, he was an absolute giveaway machine with four turnovers (by the league stats), and it’s safe to say that’s probably low. The only reason Draisaitl is not receiving a devastating grade of 1 or 2 is because this observer strongly believes he’s still seriously injured, and he had two assists. Very little else went right for Leon tonight.”

Others contend that Skinner was too aggressive in cutting off the angle and left the post unguarded. To be out of his net that far was a massive error, despite the time remaining on the clock.

Maybe it’s not that simple. Some of the feedback from fans was similar in that Skinner made himself big and forced a bad-angle shot. Another noted that the puck would have harmlessly slid through the crease had Draisaitl not been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Oilers Need a Better Performance in Game 4

No matter whose fault it is, the Oilers now search for answers after being outplayed in a Game 3 they badly wanted to win on home ice. Edmonton will need to regroup quickly and tighten up defensively if they hope to regain control of the series. Otherwise, Reilly Smith’s buzzer-beater might be remembered as the turning point.

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