NHL: 30 best series winning goals in NHL Playoffs history

NHL: 30 best series-winning goals in NHL playoff history:
9. Barclay Goodrow beats the Golden Knights

It takes a lot for a first-round series-winning goal to make it into the top ten, but it’s hard to argue what happened here when the Vegas Golden Knights took on the San Jose Sharks in 2019. There is no reason to talk about anything else in this series other than the third period and overtime of Game 7. It was one of the most controversial calls in the history of the playoffs that directly led to the elimination of one team.

The major penalty called against Cody Eakin completely changed the game and the series. It was a weak call. Honestly, it looked like a two-minute cross-check. The fall was worse than the hit. The refs clearly overreacted to that. The Sharks were down 3-0 at the time of the penalty. Once the five-minute major was over, it was 4-3 Sharks. Sure, the Knights should have stopped them on the penalty kill, but once a power play starts going. it is hard to stop. And if that power play can just keep going, it’s going to keep scoring.

It seemed like the Knights were bound to lose, but Jonathan Marchessault scored with less than a minute left in the game to force overtime. It felt like Karma. The Sharks were not going to win this game on a questionable call in Game 7. That seemed too cruel even for the hockey gods. So, to overtime we go.

There, things got stressful for both sides. Timo Meier came in close on Marc-Andre Fleury, but he poked the puck away before he could get a shot. Reilly Smith got so close to a chance inches from the net on the other side, but he just couldn’t get his stick on the puck. The next chance could not. be stopped.

Mark Stone was trying to find Max Pacioretty on a break, but Erik Karlsson got in the way of the pass. He found Barclay Goodrow who was able to get in all alone and beat Fleury. The game was one of the best if you ignore the whole “penalty” fiasco.