One Gamble, One Goal Against: How OT Hinged on Makar
Overtime hockey can be a cruel game. You’re tired, the ice is banged up, every touch feels amplified, and one small decision can swing the game. That’s exactly what happened in the gold medal thriller when the game-winning goal snuck in — all traced back to one gamble by Cale Makar.
Makar is perhaps the best NHL defenceman alive today.
Now, don’t get me wrong — this isn’t about blaming Makar. He’s one of the best in the world, and you take risks in OT because you have to. But in this case, he went for a play, he misread it, and suddenly Team USA had a lane that turned into the goal that decided everything. If Makar plays it safe? That moment probably never happens. It’s hockey, and in three-on-three overtime, there’s almost no room for error.
That’s the thing about OT in today’s NHL. Faceoffs, line matchups, and who’s on the ice all matter. Win the opening draw, and you can almost control the flow, like football on a perfect snap, where the other team never touches the ball. Lose that small moment, and it can snowball in a second. That’s what happened here. A split-second decision, a gamble that didn’t pay, and suddenly the ice is buzzing for all the wrong reasons if you’re the team that just got scored on.
All these problems make hockey’s overtime so exciting.
But let’s be honest: this is also what makes hockey thrilling. You can have Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, and Jack Eichel. These are the brightest stars on the planet, and they can turn a single misstep into brilliant chaos in one heartbeat. Makar’s gamble was a microcosm of three-on-three OT hockey: fast, chaotic, brilliant, and merciless.
At the end of the day, the takeaway isn’t blame. It’s understanding how razor-thin the margins are. One decision, one lost duel, and the scoreboard flips. That’s why players, coaches, and fans remember these moments for years. It’s not about guilt — it’s about appreciating how high-stakes, high-pressure, and unpredictably beautiful the game can be.
The Olympic game-winning goal came on a gamble that didn't work out.
So, the game-winning goal came down to a gamble, and it didn’t work out. That’s hockey. That’s overtime. And for anyone watching, it’s a reminder: sometimes the biggest story in a game isn’t the highlight reel, it’s the one split-second choice that changes everything.