In the late hours of an entertaining Saturday night rivalry, it looked like the Edmonton Oilers had finally pushed through and secured their third straight win. Connor McDavid appeared to end it in overtime, crashing the net and nudging the puck past Los Angeles Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg as Rogers Place erupted.
Not so fast. Instead of it being a huge goal to top off a celebratory evening, many Oilers fans were left wondering what the officials saw that led them to rule the goal not count.
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As McDavid took the puck to the net, he was pushed by Drew Doughty, and everyone went crashing into Forsberg. The officials immediately waved the goal off and, after a lengthy review, ruled it no goal due to goaltender interference.
The call stood, the cheers turned to boos, and thanks to a goal by Adrian Kempe -- who wasn't even credited with a shot on net all night -- Edmonton eventually fell 4–3 in a shootout to the Los Angeles Kings.
The Oilers have been searching for a third straight win this season since the puck dropped on the 2025-26 campaign. Good teams need to go on runs, and the Oilers have yet to do so. Another close loss was weighing on a frustrated McDavid as he spoke with the media after the game but kept things short.
“I feel like I have the puck and I’m taking it to the net. I’m getting pushed in. I feel like I also kinda maybe tapped it in on the other side." McDavid noted. "The refs and situation room have to make a call, and they felt differently. That’s the way it goes."
McDavid had already tied the game earlier on a five-on-three power play, extending his career-long point streak to 18 games and totaling 42 points during the run. His good friend, Leon Draisaitl, was also honored pregame for reaching 1,000 NHL points. Wives, parents, friends, and even pets were in the building. The Oilers are about to go on their dads' trip.
Personally, there were plenty of reasons for McDavid to be happy.
But, because wins are all that matters and the Oilers failed to get one, eveyone was frustrated.
Like McDavid and thousands of Oilers fans, head coach Kris Knoblauch thought the goal should have counted too. Knowing that criticizing officials is a no-no, he walked a fine line between not saying too much and explaining what he saw. That was McDavid simply driving the puck around the pad. McDavid was pushed into the crease. The debate became whether the minimal contact with Forsberg happened before McDavid was pushed or afterward.
It doesn't matter now. The Oilers need to start again and try to win three straight, first by getting win over Chicago on Monday, Nashville on Tuesday, and back home against the New York Islanders on Thursday.
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