Updated April 5, 2025 – 11:57 pm
Hockey remains a game of inches and bounces.
The Golden Knights were seconds away from their most heartbreaking loss of the season. Reilly Smith then proved it’s always beneficial to be lucky rather than good.
But the Knights were good all night, and were rewarded when Smith scored his second goal of the game with 28 seconds left in overtime for a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta.
The extra frame was played entirely at four-on-four after the Flames killed a Kevin Bahl tripping penalty late in the third that carried into overtime.
Smith carried the puck down the right side and circled the net. Below the goal line, Smith tried to center it to Brett Howden camped in the high slot.
Smith’s attempt banked off Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar’s skate then off the back of goaltender Dustin Wolf and into the net.
“I was just trying to get the puck in front to Brett,” Smith said. “It took a fortunate bounce.”
VEGAS WINS ⚔️
Reilly Smith scores in @Energizer overtime to give the @GoldenKnights the extra point! pic.twitter.com/PDCrw8zMTw
— NHL (@NHL) April 6, 2025
Smith recorded his 29th career multigoal game and first since Nov. 4, 2023, when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Right wing Pavel Dorofeyev scored his team-leading 33rd goal of the season, and goaltender Akira Schmid made 21 saves in his first start with the Knights in place of the injured Ilya Samsonov (upper body).
Defenseman Shea Theodore had the primary assist on all three goals.
Smith might not have had a chance at the fortuitous game-winner if not for the Knights’ netminder.
Flames captain Mikael Backlund had a shorthanded breakaway at the end of regulation that would’ve counted, but Schmid got his glove on it to keep the Knights alive.
Mikael Backlund goes for the buzzer beater but can’t beat Akira Schmid
🎥: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/EZGGs2JdHi
— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) April 6, 2025
That would’ve completed an unthinkable collapse. The Knights, who led 2-0 in the second period, nearly gave it away.
Flames defensman Joel Hanley scored with 7.7 seconds left in the second, and right wing Matt Coronato scored 43 seconds in the third to tie it 2-2.
Despite that, the Knights controlled play for most of the night. They benefited off a good start, outshooting the Flames 12-7 in the first, that included Dorofeyev’s goal at 18:39.
“Bit of relief, for sure,” Smith said. “I think we did enough in that game to win. Sometimes bounces don’t go your way and teams claw back in. I don’t think there was any panic in the locker room.”
It was a game the Knights desperately needed after losing back-to-back home games against the Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets.
The win allowed the Knights (46-22-8) to maintain a three-point lead over the Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division after the Kings defeated the Oilers 3-0 earlier Saturday.
Meanwhile, the point for the Flames (36-27-13) helped. They trail the Minnesota Wild by four points, with a game in hand, for the second wild card in the West.
“I can’t predict the future,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “If we don’t win the title, could we still have a great playoff run? Absolutely. If we win the title, we guarantee less travel and home ice. It’s something we want. Our guys are competitive. They want to win it. That’s why it’s important.”
Three takeaways from the win:
1. Schmid’s start
In what can only be best described as a struggling season for Schmid, this one will put a smile on his face.
The 24-year-old from Switzerland earned his first NHL win since Dec. 16, 2023, when he was with the New Jersey Devils. The Knights acquired him in a draft-day trade on June 29, along with winger Alexander Holtz, for left wing Paul Cotter and a third-round pick.
Schmid’s run in Henderson has been anything but positive, going 9-18-3 with an .886 save percentage and 3.58 goals-against average.
“That’s what you work for in the AHL,” Schmid said. “I’m glad it paid off.”
He’s the only other goalie in the organization with NHL experience, hence why he was called up to fill in for Samsonov rather than top prospect Carl Lindbom.
Schmid didn’t see much work in his first Knights start, but made stops when needed. That buzzer-beater on Backlund ensured the Knights didn’t lose a third straight game in the worst way possible.
“I thought he played well,” Cassidy said. “He doesn’t make that save at the end, we don’t get the points.”
2. Just keep shooting
Victor Olofsson’s stick got a workout Saturday.
The left wing recorded a career-high nine shots on goal, two shy of the Knights’ record held by Jonathan Marchessault in February 2020.
Four of Olofsson’s first five shots came on the Knights’ first power play in the first period. Four straight one-timers from the right circle were all saved by Wolf.
But that shot also worked at five-on-five. Olofsson, Smith and center William Karlsson outshot the Flames 12-3 when they were on the ice.
Cassidy called them the best line of the night. They were rewarded with Smith’s first goal at 9:57 of the second period.
Tough lineup decisions are coming when center Tomas Hertl returns from his shoulder injury. Olofsson is making a case to not come out with how well he’s complemented Karlsson and Smith.
3. Back-to-back
The Knights did well in their last two back-to-backs. They’ll need to do it again on Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.
The Knights have done well when playing twice in 24 hours this season, now 14-8-1 in back-to-back situations.
Vancouver needs a win to keep its playoff chances alive, trailing Minnesota by six points for the second wild card.
Edmonton and Los Angeles are not playing a back-to-back, so it’s a must-win for the Knights to go up five points on the Kings with five games remaining.
Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
