After Connor McDavid tied the game 3-3 with 3:02 remaining, William Karlsson chased a puck below the goal line in the final seconds against four Oilers before finding Reilly Smith wide open in the slot, getting around Stuart Skinner and throwing his last-ditch attempt into the crease for it to in off the stick of the defending blade of Leon Draisaitl with under a second left in regulation.
“You just have to have a short-term memory,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Whatever happened the night before – whether it was a win or a loss – you just have to put that aside and get ready for the next game, because you're playing the same opponent night after night and their game's going to be a little bit different.
“So no matter what happens, it’s business the next night.”
After playing with desperation late in the third period, the Oilers didn't manage the clock as the seconds ticked down to overtime, and a momentary lapse in awareness ended up costing them when Smith wasn't picked up coming over the blueline.
While Skinner's decision to challenge the shooter was the right one, Smith knew he had another second to round the netminder and fire it on goal for it to get redirected in with a fraction of a second remaining before time had expired.
"You always want players playing with desperation and putting it all out on the line, and I think that's what everyone did – forwards, defence and our goaltender," Knoblauch said. "Unfortunately, there was a little more time on the clock than everyone thought, and everyone is anticipating that shot coming from the slot at that point because of how much time there was left. Unfortunately, that's not what turned out."
