When Nazem Kadri underwent thumb surgery following an injury in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final, it was unclear if he would return for the Colorado Avalanche at all during this Stanley Cup run.
However, just 16 days post-op, Kadri suited up with the Avalanche once again to make his Stanley Cup Final debut — and became the overtime hero in the process.
Overtime in Game 3 felt ripe with chances at both ends, but it was Kadri who was able to slip the puck under the blocker of Vasilevskiy to score the game's winner, even if nobody realized at the time.
Here are some Twitter reactions to Kadri's eye-deceiving goal:
The goal bore resemblance to the Patrick Kane goal of 2010, where he scored the Stanley Cup game-winning goal against the Flyers that deceived everyone at first, including the on-ice officials.
You can watch Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals June 6 on Sportsnet and Sportsnet NOW at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.