Mike Smith found himself living the nightmare many goaltenders fear.
All it took was the Edmonton Oilers goaltender losing focus for a second as Rasmus Andersson’s shot from the Calgary Flames end of the ice found its way into the net on Tuesday, tying Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinal at 3-3. Smith’s reaction to the play said it all as he appeared to have no idea what happened, just like those in attendance and watching from home.
Smith later said he lost sight of the puck.
The gaffe from Smith brought upon some memories of past playoff blunders like when Detroit Red Wings star Niklas Lidstrom shot a puck from centre ice to beat Dan Cloutier of the Vancouver Canucks in 2002. The Red Wings went on to win the Stanley Cup.
Of course, many Oilers fans sadly remember when Steve Smith put the puck in his own net off of an unsuspecting Grant Fuhr against the Flames, who went on to win the series in 1986.
Fortunately for Smith, Edmonton was able to rally past Calgary as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored minutes later before the Oilers added an empty-netter to secure the win in Game 4.
While Oilers fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief following the win, many won’t forget the bizarre goal.