March 1 (UPI) -- Vegas Golden Knights forward Reilly Smith pulled the puck between his own legs before slipping it past Roberto Luongo in a win against the Florida Panthers.
The creative score came 7:20 into the second period of the Golden Knights' 6-5 shootout win Thursday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Vegas trailed 3-1 entering the period. Paul Stastny scored his eighth goal of the season 3:09 into the game for Vegas, but Mike Hoffman answered with two scores for the Panthers. Aaron Ekblad scored with 1:01 remaining in the frame to give the road squad an early edge.
Then Smith struck. Vegas defenseman Jon Merrill settled a puck and sent it down the right flank to Jonathan Marchessault. The veteran center passed on to Smith, who was sitting at the near post. Smith had his back to the goal before using his stick to slip the puck between his own legs. He then flipped a shot between Luongo's legs.
Related
Jon Merrill tied the game 7 minutes later for Vegas. Colin Miller scored the go-ahead goal 16:09 into the second period. Aleksander Barkov tied the score at 4-4 with 54 seconds remaining in the bridge frame.
Jonathan Huberdeau put Florida ahead 5-4 at the start of the third period. Smith tied the game with 4:18 remaining with his 12th goal of the season.
Shea Theodore scored the only goal of the shootout to give Vegas the victory.
The Golden Knights battle the Anaheim Ducks at 10 p.m. Friday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The Panthers host the Carolina Hurricanes at 7 p.m. Saturday at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla.
