Reilly Smith had other plans. So did the Vegas Golden Knights, who spoiled Dallas’s bid to clinch a playoff berth Sunday night with a tightly contested 3-2 victory at American Airlines Center.
With 3:38 remaining in the third period, Smith redirected a shot from Mitch Marner that had ricocheted off two Dallas defenders and found the back of the net — a lucky bounce, sure, but one Vegas will take without apology. The goal stood as the game-winner, and just like that, the Stars’ clinching party was postponed. The reported crowd of 18,532 at American Airlines Center had little to cheer by the final buzzer.
Smith Delivers, Vegas Climbs the Pacific
It wasn’t just the drama of the finish that made this one significant. The regulation win pushed Vegas to 32-25-14 on the season and, crucially, into second place in the Pacific Division — one point ahead of the Edmonton Oilers. For a Golden Knights team that’s won just three of its last nine outings, Sunday’s result carries real weight heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
Smith, who was named the first star of the game after logging 14:48 of ice time, didn’t need a highlight-reel moment to get the job done. He just needed to be in the right place at the right time. Sometimes that’s enough.
Vegas got on the board early. Brayden McNabb opened scoring at 4:01 of the first period, and Ivan Barbashev added another before the night was out. Goaltender Adin Hill was tested less than you might expect — he made 13 saves on 15 shots as Vegas thoroughly outshot Dallas, 33-15 for the game. That’s a lopsided possession story, and it largely reflects how the two teams played.
Johnston Makes History — But It Isn’t Enough
Here’s the thing about Dallas’s night: there was actually something worth celebrating, even in defeat. Wyatt Johnston scored his 23rd power-play goal of the season, breaking a franchise record that had stood since the 1986-87 season when Dino Ciccarelli set the mark at 22 with the Minnesota North Stars. Johnston now owns that record outright — and his league-leading total on the man advantage underscores just how dangerous he’s become in that situation.
Justin Hryckowian also scored for the Stars, and goaltender Casey DeSmith kept things competitive with 30 saves despite the outshooting disparity. Still, it wasn’t enough. Dallas drops to 43-16-11 and remains five points behind Colorado in the Western Division standings. The Stars will need to wait at least one more night to pop any champagne.
What It Means Going Forward
Can Dallas afford too many more nights like this? Probably not, if they’re chasing Colorado at the top of the division. That said, a 43-win season with a firm grip on a playoff spot isn’t exactly cause for alarm — they’re just not quite there yet, and Vegas just made the math a little more complicated than it needed to be.
For the Golden Knights, the mood is different. They’re not a dominant team right now — three wins in nine games doesn’t suggest a squad firing on all cylinders — but they’re sitting in second place in the Pacific with a result that matters. In March, that’s not nothing.
Reilly Smith, a veteran who’s seen enough of these games to know how quickly they can slip away, found the right bounce at the right moment. In a playoff race this tight, sometimes that’s the whole story.
