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NHL: 30 best series winning goals in NHL Playoffs history

By Nick Villano

St. Louis Blues left wing Pat Maroon (7) is congratulated by teammates after scoring the game winning goal in double overtime in game seven of the second round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Dallas Stars at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
St. Louis Blues left wing Pat Maroon (7) is congratulated by teammates after scoring the game winning goal in double overtime in game seven of the second round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Dallas Stars at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Craig MacTavish
Craig MacTavish (Photo By Bernstein Associates/Getty Images) /

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
30. Craig MacTavish beats the Kings

Wayne Gretzky had been traded to the Los Angeles Kings in the offseason before the 1988-89 season. He played his former team, the Edmonton Oilers, in the playoffs the next three seasons. In 1989 and 1990, the Oilers and Kings both took home a series win. In 1991, it was a great rubber match.

Four of the six games of this series went to overtime. These two teams almost played two extra games between all of the overtime periods. So it was obviously going to end in extras. One weird thing about this series; Gretzky didn’t score a goal. The Kings were relying on Luc Robitaille, who scored both game-winning goals in the series for the Kings.

On the other side, the Oilers were scoring on a measured level. Gone were the days of the greatest top six in history. Now, it was winning on a balanced approach. That’s how we got Craig MacTavish in a position to win a game.

MacTavish raced to the front of the net and took a pass from Petr Klima. He was able to score from about a foot out from Kings goalie Kelly Hrudey. This came just seconds after the referees disallowed a goal by Anatoli Semenov. The Oilers were hot, but the Kings were just tired. The opponent was running out of gas, so it was a matter of time before the defending Stanley Cup Champions put them out of their misery.

The Oilers would end up losing in the next round to the surprising Minnesota North Stars, and it seemed to be closer to the end for this great franchise. However, they still had this great moment where they sent their former superstar home.

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