With less than a second left in regulation, Reilly Smith tied the Stanley Cup Playoffs benchmark for latest game-winning goal as he gave the Golden Knights their first win of the Second Round. The 2025 postseason marked the eighth in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1968) to feature no sweeps through the first two rounds.* The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs became the second postseason in NHL history to feature multiple game-tying or go-ahead goals within the final five seconds of regulation, joining 2015 (2).
* Frederik Andersen joined a short list of NHL goaltenders with his first playoff shutout with the Hurricanes and helped his club take a 2-1 series lead over the Capitals.
* Second Round coverage continues Sunday when the Panthers aim to even their series against the Maple Leafs and the Stars look to bounce back after a Game 2 loss versus the Jets with the series now in Dallas.
SMITH SCORES WINNER IN FINAL SECOND, VEGAS EARNS FIRST WIN OF SERIES
After the Golden Knights overcame a two-goal deficit and took the lead, Connor McDavid scored a tying goal with 3:02 left in regulation as both clubs were nearing their second straight overtime game… but the Golden Knights had other plans. In the final second of regulation, Reilly Smith scored and matched the latest game-winning goal in Stanley Cup Playoffs history as the Golden Knights earned a dramatic Game 3 victory and became the eighth team with a win in the 2025 Second Round.
* WATCH HERE for full highlights from Golden Knights-Oilers Game 3.
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* Smith, one of the original Vegas “Misfits,” rejoined the club for another postseason run after being reacquired from the Rangers ahead of the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. Smith is no stranger to producing key goals for the Golden Knights – his tally in Game 5 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final was the Cup-clinching goal for Vegas’ first championship.
* In addition to Cole Perfetti’s tying goal (59:57) for the Jets in Game 7 of the First Round, Smith’s winner marked this postseason’s second game-tying or go-ahead tally in the final five seconds of regulation. The only other playoff year in NHL history with multiple such tallies is 2015 (also 2).
* Game 3 also marked the Golden Knights‘ 50th postseason game as the road team. Their 28 wins in those contests are the second most in NHL history through the mark, behind only the Oilers (32).
ANDERSEN BLANKS CAPITALS AS HURRICANES TAKE 2-1 SERIES LEAD
Andrei Svechnikov scored his team-leading sixth goal of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs and NHL-leading second game-winning tally (tied), while Frederik Andersen stopped all 21 shots he faced to help the Hurricanes take a 2-1 series lead against the Capitals. Carolina won each of its first four home games of a postseason for the fourth time in franchise history (2022: 7 GP, 2019: 5 GP & 2002: 4 GP).
* WATCH HERE for full highlights from Capitals-Hurricanes Game 3.
* Andersen registered his first career playoff shutout with the Hurricanes and became the first goaltender to post a perfect performance in the postseason with the franchise since Antti Raanta in Game 2 of the 2022 Second Round.
THIRTY-NINE-YEAR-OLD PERRY CONTINUES TO PRODUCE FOR OILERS IN LIVE UPDATES
Just six days shy of his 40th birthday, 39-year-old Corey Perry scored twice in the opening frame to pass Brad Marchand (58) for the fourth-most playoff goals by an active skater and overtake Willy Lindstrom (33 years, 12 days in Game 4 of 1984 SCF) as the oldest player in Oilers history to record multiple tallies in a playoff game. Find more notes from Saturday’s two-game slate in #NHLStats: Live Updates.
QUICK CLICKS
* NHL announces Stanley Cup Playoffs 2nd Round schedule updates
* Mike Sullivan attends Knicks playoff game at Madison Square Garden
* Mark Stone leaves Game 3 due to upper-body injury for Golden Knights
* Sergei Bobrovsky continues to come up clutch for Panthers in playoffs
* NHL All Quarter-Century Team: Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews lead players to debut after 2010
REIGNING CHAMPS EYE ANOTHER WIN, DRAW EVEN AGAINST MAPLE LEAFS
Second Round action continues on a two-game Sunday as the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Jets and Stars as well as the reigning champion Panthers and Maple Leafs celebrate Mother’s Day in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
* Brad Marchand continued his postseason success against the Maple Leafs in Game 3 and helped the Panthers capture their first win of the Second Round. Florida, with hopes of a rally to keep its chances of a repeat alive, can become the seventh reigning Stanley Cup champion in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) to overcome a 2-0 series deficit to advance – three have done so beyond the opening round (TBL: 2022 CF, MTL: 1987 DF & NYI: 1984 CF).
* Jake Oettinger and the Stars look to rebound on home ice as their Second Round series against the Jets shifts to American Airlines Center in Dallas. Oettinger, who owns the second-most career playoff wins in franchise history (28-26), has collected 16 of those following a loss – all of which coming since his first-ever postseason start during Game 1 of the 2022 First Round against the Flames.
