Ducks win in shootout after Penguins D Erik Karlsson accidentally knocks in game-tying goal with .01 seconds left

With 18 seconds remaining in the third period, the Ducks were down 3-2, had just lost a faceoff back in their defensive zone and were down a man in a power play for the Pittsburgh Penguins. A half-hour later, they were celebrating one of the most bizarre wins of the season, 4-3 in a shootout.

Somehow, the Ducks managed to tie the game. It took a great play from Beckett Sennecke and a defensive breakdown for the Penguins, but the winger managed to get the puck to the net for a game-tying goal in the final second.

A replay:

Actually, let's take a closer look at that.

Specifically, let's look at it from a bird's eye view, in slow motion, with the clock visible. Sennecke's shot was actually veering away from the goal inside the crease, until...

Oh no, Erik Karlsson.

The goal was officially credited as an unassisted one for Sennecke, but he definitely got an assist from the Penguins defenseman, who accidentally batted the puck into the goal with 0.1 seconds left.

The goal was held up on replay and the game went to overtime. Naturally, the Ducks ended up winning via shootout.

Joe Sargent via Getty Images

Karlsson's explanation of what happened after the game:

"It hit my hand and went in. There was no question about it. How it came to be that way, I don't really know. I haven't watched it, but it's definitely something that should not happen. Seventeen seconds left, up a goal and on a power play. We win the faceoff and they score a goal. This was a game that shouldn't have happened the way that it did."

It's worth noting that Karlsson also posted two assists Tuesday, so to say he cost the Penguins the game would be inaccurate. Still, it's a rough moment for a three-time Norris Trophy winner and the highest-paid defenseman in the league.

The shootout loss knocked the Penguins down to 14-7-7, good for fourth place in the Metropolitan Division.