Sharks vs Golden Knights – 1st RD Game #7 – 2019 Video Highlights
2019.04.23 – Goodrow scores OT winner for Sharks a classic Game 7
Sharks vs Golden Knights – 1st RD Game #7 – 2019 Video Highlights
2019.04.23 (Sharks vs. VGK) Goodrow in OT! See blog below
It’s Goodrow in OT! Sharks past Golden Knights in Game 7
Barclay Goodrow #23 of the San Jose Sharks scores the game-winning goal against Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime in Game Seven of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 23, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
2019.04.23 – Barclay Goodrow scored with 1:41 left in the first overtime to send the San Jose Sharks into the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 5-4 win over the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the decisive Game 7 at SAP Center.
Erik Karlsson assisted on the goal, as the Sharks capped a wild elimination game 7 that featured erasing a three-goal deficit in the third period by scoring four times on a major penalty and Vegas tying the game in the final minute of regulation.
What looked like a relatively easy Vegas win changed in the blink of an eye in the third period, it turned crazy with 10:47 to play in regulation after a bloody scene on the ice led to a major penalty on Cody Eakin and sent San Jose captain Joe Pavelski to the locker room dazed.
The penalty happened on a faceoff in San Jose’s offensive zone when Eakin high stick Pavelski in the chest. Paul Stastny then high stick Pavelski again and the back of his head hit the ice first after he was hit just outside the faceoff dot. With Pavelski’s face bloodied as he fell to the ice, he appeared to be knocked out and blood poured out of his mouth. He had to be helped to get off the ice.
The officials huddled as a dazed Pavelski was helped to the locker room and gave Eakin a five-minute major for cross-checking and a game misconduct.
What followed may have been the most amazing four minutes and one second in Sharks history.
The Sharks rallied behind their captain thanks to two goals from Logan Couture, one from Tomas Hertl and then the tiebreaker from Kevin Labanc, completing one of the most improbable comebacks in recent NHL playoff history. That scoring spree in 4:01 against Marc-Andre Fleury sent the fans at the Shark Tank into delirium. San Jose scored four goals on the power play to take a 4-3 lead.
Martin Jones then appeared ready to seal the win, robbing Mark Stone with a glove save with 3:10 to go and Vegas on the power play. But the Golden Knights didn’t go away and got the equalizer with Fleury pulled in the final minute.
William Karlsson, who scored the first goal, leaped at the blue line to keep a puck in the zone and then Reilly Smith ended up with it behind the Sharks net where he set up Jonathan Marchessault, to spoiled the party, as he got open in front of the Sharks net, took the pass from Smith and snapped a shot over Martin Jones’ left shoulder to tie the game with 47.0 seconds left to make it 4-4 and set up overtime. It was the third-latest tying goal in a Game 7 in NHL history.
It was the second straight game in the series that went to overtime. Hertl scored in the second overtime of Game 6 to give the Sharks a heart-stopping 2-1 win.
Fourth-liner Goodrow delivered late in the extra period, taking a pass from Erik Karlsson and deking his way past Fleury for the game-winner that set off a wild celebration.
Eakin and Max Pacioretty also scored for Vegas and Fleury made 43 saves.
Jones, who was pulled for ineffectiveness in two of the first five games, made 34 saves to close out the series and give the Sharks their first comeback from 3-1 down in a series in seven tries.
San Jose will face Colorado in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Shark Tank was rocking from the opening introductions as the fans came out hoping to witness the completion of the best series comeback in franchise history. The Sharks rode that momentum to a strong start but came up empty on two early power plays.
Than in a reversal from Game 6 when Vegas controlled the shot clock but the Sharks came out as winners, the Golden Knights struck first midway through the period after San Jose was called for icing. William Karlsson won the offensive zone draw and Reilly Smith shot a puck toward the net that was deflected and went right to Karlsson, who swept it past Jones to make it 1-0.
That appeared to be a good omen for Vegas considering the team that scored first won the first six games of the series and there wasn’t even a single lead change during that time.
The Golden Knights built on that lead and led 3-0 early in the third when everything changed with the penalty.
NOTES: St. Louis also had four goals on one power play vs. Los Angeles on April 27, 1998. … Sharks F Joonas Donskoi was replaced in the lineup by Lukas Radil after taking a hard hit in Game 6. … Vegas F Brandon Pirri played in place of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
UP NEXT
San Jose: Host Colorado in Game 1.
Read more at: San Jose Sharks Media Services / More AP NHL
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Sharks vs Golden Knights – 1st RD Game #6 – 2019 Video Highlights
2019.04.21 (Sharks vs. VGK) Jones with 56 saves! See blog below
Hertl Scores in 2OT! Sharks past Vegas 2-1 to force Game 7
San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson, right, celebrates after center Logan Couture, left, scored against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period in Game 6 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Sunday, April 21, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
2019.04.21 – Tomas Hertl scored a short-handed goal 11:17 into the second overtime to lift San Jose to a 2-1 win over the Golden Knights, forcing a deciding game 7 in their first-round playoff series.
It was right after winning Game 5 at home to avoid elimination, Tomas Hertl vowed the San Jose Sharks would return to SAP Center for a seventh and decisive game in their opening round series with the Vegas Golden Knights.
One day later, he clarified it wasn’t necessarily a guarantee, but rather a vote of confidence his team would force a Game 7. Either way, he made it happen.
“At first moment when I get it, I was already a little bit tired, I was thinking maybe just dump it in and change, but I saw a little bit of space, so I just take a couple of steps and try shoot it,” Hertl said. “If you don’t try you never know, so I tried it and it somehow get through, and for sure huge goal.”
Just 31 seconds after Barclay Goodrow was called for slashing Brayden McNabb, it was Marc-Edouard poking the puck from in front of Jones with a stretch pass down the center of the ice, where a weary Hertl was there to gather the delivery, skate past Vegas’ Shea Theodore and beat Marc-Andre Fleury with a wrist shot to seal the win and force Game 7 on Tuesday at San Jose.
“The only reason it went in because Shea Theodore slashed a stick and you tell your defensemen to play the guy’s stick,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. “So, it’s do or die in the next game for both teams.”
Hertl became the first player in NHL history to score a short-handed winner in a postseason game that required multiple overtimes. Only eight other players in league history have scored a short-handed goal in the first overtime of a postseason game.
Logan Couture also scored to get the Sharks on the board just before the end of the first period, when he quickly gathered the puck, maneuvered around Golden Knights defender Nate Schmidt and fired past Fleury to give San Jose a 1-0 with 6.5 seconds left.
“Obviously, it’s a tough one,” said Jonathan Marchessault, who scored Vegas’ lone goal. “I felt like we were the better team, but sometimes these games can feel a little tricky. We definitely kept buzzing and kept going. … Obviously disappointed, I think tonight we should have won, but who cares. Got to go Game 7 and get it done over there.”
That won’t be easy against a suddenly hot Jones, who had a playoff career-high 58 saves in Game 6 and has helped San Jose win two straight to even the series after being forced to the brink of elimination. Jones has stopped 88 of 91 shots in the last two games.
“It was a good game obviously, we stuck with it the whole night,” Jones said. “I give our guys a lot of credit, they had some huge penalty kills in overtime and the third. Everybody chipped in with stuff today.”
Jones may have saved his best performance for Game 6, coming up with big saves to keep the Sharks in the game with huge saves while under rapid fire.
With Vegas carrying momentum over from Marchessault’s goal that tied the score with 8:40 left in the second period, and a penalty kill that carried into the third, Jones’ biggest save came against Reilly Smith, whose point-blank one-timer was stymied. Moments later Jones snuffed out Mark Stone’s slap shot from the circle.
Both goalies came up with monster saves during the first extra period, first with Fleury – who had 27 saves – stopping Kevin Labanc just after the puck drop, and later when Jones stopped Max Pacioretty’s one-timer with 9:57 left.
“To their credit, they want to close this out tonight at home and they pushed hard and Jonesy made some big saves,” San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. “I thought we defended well, even though we were on our heels a little bit. I thought it was a gutsy effort on the road in a tough situation by our group and we’re still alive.”
Asked if he had an assurance for Tuesday, Hertl laughed and simply guaranteed the Sharks would show up and play their best game.
“Game 7 is the most fun game you can play in the NHL,” Hertl said.
NOTES: The game marked Vegas’ second only Game 6 in its young history, as its only other appearance in a Game 6 was a 3-0 victory in San Jose during the Western Conference semifinals of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. … The teams received a rare two-day break between Games 5 and 6 because the Jordan Brand Classic high school all-star basketball game was already booked for Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. … Fleury has won the last two Game 7s he has started: the Stanley Cup Final against Detroit in 2009, and at Washington in 2017. The 15-year allowed one goal in those two games.
UP NEXT
Game 7 is Tuesday night at San Jose.
Read more at: San Jose Sharks Media Services / More AP NHL
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For more on the San Jose Sharks, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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Sharks vs Golden Knights – 1st RD Game #5 – 2019 Video Highlights
2019.04.18 (Sharks vs. VGK) Jones bounces back! See blog below
Jones bounces back! Sharks beat Golden Knights 5-2
San Jose Sharks goalie Martin Jones, right, blocks a shot from the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period of Game 5 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Thursday, April 18, 2019, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
2019.04.18 – Martin Jones delivered the key saves and Tomas Hertl provided the fast start that helped the San Jose Sharks flip the script in their playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Sharks staved off elimination by beating the Golden Knights 5-2 in Game 5.
Jones who had 30 saves in this game, had been pulled twice in the previous three games. He had allowed 11 goals on 54 shots in those games but coach Peter DeBoer showed confidence to go back to him once again. That proved justified when he robbed Reilly Smith’s attempt at the tying goal in the third period on a 2-on-1 after Vegas had cut it to 3-2 on Jonathan Marchessault’s power-play goal.
“Totally what we expected. He’s a heck of a goalie,” captain Joe Pavelski said. “I know everybody wants to write their things, but we’ve got a lot of belief in this guy. We played the right way tonight. It probably started with him and led the way out, but we were committed and helping him out a little bit. He made some great saves, especially that 2-on-1 there after they score. Game-saving save there. That’s what he’s always done for us, he’s made those key saves.”
Hertl provided the fast start scoring the first of his two goals just 76 seconds into the game, his early goal gave San Jose its first lead since Game 1 and ended a run of three straight games where the Sharks fell behind less than 90 seconds into the game. That helped steady the team and the Sharks delivered a complete performance to send the series back to Vegas for Game 6 on Sunday with the Golden Knights leading 3-2.
Logan Couture, Barclay Goodrow and Joe Pavelski also scored but the key was the fast start and the strong play from Jones.
The Sharks then responded on a power play of their own when Marchessault was called for high-sticking Couture in the face. The referees initially didn’t make a call before huddling together after Couture rushed to the locker room holding his face.
Hertl capitalized when he knocked a rebound past Marc-Andre Fleury to make it 4-2.
“Big players are needed in big games and that was as big a game as we’ve had all year and I thought he was the best player on the ice,” DeBoer said.
Pavelski sealed the win with an empty-net goal.
Fleury made 24 saves after a shutout in Game 4. Smith scored earlier in the game on a power play for the Golden Knights, who were hoping to eliminate the Sharks on their home ice for the second straight year.
“We knew they would play their best game of the series tonight and they did, credit to them,” forward Max Pacioretty said. “Wipe it clean and just worry about the next one.”
There was nervous energy in the Shark Tank but that quickly turned to celebration when the Sharks were the team that ended up with the early goal. Hertl skated in on the rush and beat Fleury for his third of the series to give San Jose its first lead since the opener.
The Sharks confidence only grew when they added a second goal midway through the period. Jones made a stop against Pacioretty and Erik Karlsson gathered the rebound and sent a stretch pass to Timo Meier. Meier decked Deryk Engelland and got a shot on goal that Fleury stopped but Couture knocked in the rebound.
“They had a good start,” Vegas defenseman Colin Miller said. “Better than us, and anytime you’re chasing it it’s a tough game to play. You see the other games before when we jumped out to that hot start. It’s tough.”
The Golden Knights got on the board in the final minute of the period after Evander Kane took a penalty on a hard hit while forechecking in the offensive zone. Smith sent a centering pass from behind the net that deflected off Karlsson’s stick and into the net.
San Jose then added an insurance goal in the second when Goodrow got in front of Fleury and deflected Justin Braun’s point shot in for his first career playoff goal.
The Sharks nearly added to the lead late in the period on the power play but somehow were unable to get the puck into the net after a mad scramble in front of Fleury.
NOTES: Karlsson had two assists for San Jose. … Vegas’ line of Paul Stastny, Mark Stone and Pacioretty, who combined for 28 points the first four games, were held off the score sheet. … Sharks D Marc-Edouard Vlasic returned to the lineup after missing two games with an undisclosed injury.
UP NEXT
Game 6 is Sunday night in Las Vegas.
Read more at: San Jose Sharks Media Services / More AP NHL
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Sharks vs Golden Knights – 1st RD Game #4 – 2019 Video Highlights
2019.04.16 (Sharks vs. VGK) At Must-Win – See blog below
At Must-Win – Sharks drop game #4 to Golden Knights 5-0
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) blocks a shot beside San Jose Sharks left wing Evander Kane during the first period of Game 4 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
2019.04.16 – Marc-Andre Fleury earned his 15th playoff shutout and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-0 on Tuesday night for a 3-1 lead with San Jose at must-win in their best-of-seven Western Conference series.
Fleury said his toughest task in the playoffs is simply finding the puck against a heavy-shooting team like the San Jose Sharks.
He found all 28 shots fired at him and the 15-year veteran added another spotless performance to his storied postseason career.
The Vegas’ Fleury earned his 15th playoff shutout, Max Pacioretty had two goals and two assists and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Sharks.
Fleury has stopped 87 of 93 shots in the last three games. He moved into a tie for fourth place in playoff shutouts and improved his career goals-against average in the postseason to 2.58.
Vegas can eliminate the Sharks from the playoffs for the second consecutive year on Thursday in San Jose.
“They’re a good team. It’s not over, obviously. It’s a big game tonight, a big win for us,” said Fleury, who also took over sole possession of seventh place with 78 career playoff wins. “They’re dangerous. I think we’ve just got to go in, focus on our game, focus on the first period, nothing too far ahead, just focus on playing the right way.”
Shea Theodore, Alex Tuch and Jonathan Marchessault also scored for Vegas. Nate Schmidt and Reilly Smith each had two assists.
Since losing Game 1 on the road, the Golden Knights have never trailed and they’ve outscored the Sharks 16-6.
San Jose goaltender Martin Jones allowed two goals and made five saves in the first period before giving way to backup Aaron Dell, who finished with 17 saves.
The Sharks out-shot Vegas 28-27. After the first two periods, San Jose had 15 shots on net from the slot, but Fleury’s brilliance throughout the game was the difference.
“When you look at the game you can’t put this all on the goalies because you have to score, too,” San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. “We have to find a way to solve Fleury. This isn’t all on our goalies. We wouldn’t have won tonight anyway ’cause we didn’t score a goal. We’ve got to find a way to score and we’ve got to get some good goal tending, too.”
The Golden Knights continued to hurt San Jose in the opening moments of periods, as Pacioretty’s first goal marked the 10th time in 18 games they scored in the opening five minutes against the Sharks.
Mark Stone, who has energized the Golden Knights since arriving in February at the trade deadline, dropped the puck off for Pacioretty, who promptly snapped a shot through a screen just 71 seconds into the game.
Theodore made it 2-0 with the prettiest goal of the series. He skated into the zone and by Kevin Labanc, then faked out Brent Burns and skated between the All-Star and Brenden Dillon, through the slot and beat Jones before backhanding the puck just inside the pipe.
Pacioretty punched in his second goal of the night when he one-timed his own rebound off the post and into the net with 7:27 left in the second period.
The second line of Pacioretty, Stone and Paul Stastny has 28 points in the series, while the rest of the Golden Knights have 21 combined.
“That’s just playoffs. Different lines step up on different nights or different rounds or series,” Stastny said. “The most important thing tonight that was big was Marchy getting on the board, was Tuchy getting on the board, getting other guys, and all of a sudden they’re going to play with a lot more confidence and we’re going to be a more dangerous team.”
Tuch ended an eight-game goal drought when he gathered a long rebound, maneuvered through the defense and beat Dell to make it 4-0 with a little less than 14 minutes left.
Marchessault capped the scoring when he finished a nifty pass from Schmidt with 3:36 to go.
While coach Gerard Gallant remained critical of his Vegas team, he was pleased by the way his players stepped up on special teams, stopping San Jose on its four power-play opportunities.
“The goalie was the best player on the PK for sure,” Gallant said. “Sometimes your goalie gets a shutout and it’s a team shutout — tonight was a Fleury shutout.”
NOTES: The Golden Knights are the first team in NHL history to score in the opening 90 seconds of four consecutive postseason periods. … Tuch’s goal marked the 13th time San Jose defenseman Erik Karlsson was on the ice when the Golden Knights scored. … The Sharks were without injured center Michael Haley and defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic. San Jose center Joe Thornton served a one-game suspension for an illegal hit on Vegas left wing Tomas Nosek in Game 3. … Stone became the eighth player in the last 30 seasons to have 10 or more points in his team’s first four games of a postseason.
UP NEXT
Game 5 in San Jose on Thursday.
Read more at: San Jose Sharks Media Services / More AP NHL
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Sharks vs Golden Knights – 1st RD Game #3 – 2019 Video Highlights
2019.04.14 (Sharks vs. VGK) 3x Dreadful Start – See blog below
Three Dreadful Starts – Sharks fall to Golden Knights 6-3 (Game #3)
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Mark Stone, center, celebrates after scoring against the San Jose Sharks during the first period of Game 3 of an NHL first-round hockey playoff series game, Sunday, April 14, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
2019.04.14 – The San Jose Sharks’ three dreadful period starts were topped by the Vegas Golden Knights’ Mark Stone first hat trick of his NHL career in a 6-3 win of the Western Conference 1st Round game #3 at T-Mobile Arena.
The Golden Knights used fast starts to set the tone, scoring a goal inside the first 36 seconds of each of the three periods.
Vegas got off to a fast start when Nate Schmidt went blue line to blue line with a perfect feed through traffic to Stone, who beat Sharks’ Martin Jones with a backhand just 16 seconds into the game. Max Pacioretty’s wrist shot from the top of the right circle at 12:16 extended Vegas’ lead to 2-0.
Paul Stastny accounted for both of Vegas’ goals in the second as the Knights opened a 4-1 lead, including one just 21 seconds into the period, when he grabbed a rebound between the circles and drove a wrist shot past Jones. Later, he got into a perfect position to redirect a feed from Stone into the net at 16:04.
Stone scored just 36 seconds into the third, when he buried a rebound into a wide-open net, pushing Vegas’ lead to 5-1.
“We found a way to get a couple goals early, and we carried the momentum a lot,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. “It was a physical game, we played real disciplined and that’s what my main concern is, we didn’t take a whole lot of penalties tonight and I thought we played a great game.”
San Jose quieted the crowd and put Vegas on its heels when it rallied in the third period with a pair of goals to get within two.
Logan Couture got his second of the series when his pass intended for Joe Pavelski was tipped in by Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb. Then, Meier knocked in a rebound after Gustav Nyquist’s shot was stopped, making it 5-3 with a little more than 14 minutes remaining.
“I don’t think we had enough participants playing at a high enough level. … The one thing about our group is they don’t quit,” San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. “They haven’t, regardless of the scoreboard. That’s something we can hang our hat on. (But) we didn’t do enough to win tonight.”
Kevin Labanc, Couture and Tim Meier scored for San Jose, and Jones stopped 34 shots.
After getting outplayed in Game 1, the defending Western Conference champs have used their physicality to dominate the last two games, outhitting the Sharks 46-31 in Game 2 and 56-42 in Game 3.
Stone got his third goal when he took a pass from Pacioretty, skated in alone and went forehand-backhand to beat Jones with a little more than six minutes to play.
NOTES: The Golden Knights signed forward Nikita Gusev to a one-year, entry-level contract and expect the Moscow native to join the team for practice on Monday. Gusev, 26, had a Kontinental Hockey League-high 82 points in 62 regular-season games. During the KHL playoffs, he recorded 19 points, which ranked second in the league. … The Golden Knights are the 13th team in NHL history, and third in the last 30 years, to score in the opening minute of back-to-back playoff games. … Vegas is the first franchise in NHL history to hold a lead in each of its first five all-time playoff series. … San Jose LW Michael Haley left in the second period after injuring his left ankle on a blocked shot and did not return.
UP NEXT
Game 4 is Tuesday night in Las Vegas.
Read more at: San Jose Sharks Media Services / More AP NHL
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Sharks vs Golden Knights – 1st RD Game #2 – 2019 Video Highlights
2019.04.12 (Sharks vs. VGK) Jones Gets Pulled – See blog below
Jones Gets Pulled – Sharks fall to Golden Knights 5-3 (Game #2)
San Jose Sharks’ goaltender Martin Jones (31), blocks the puck against Vegas Golden Knights’ Tomas Nosek (92) during the first period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Friday, April 12, 2019, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)
2019.04.12 – Sharks’ Martin Jones allowed three goals on seven shots and was pulled 6:39 into the first frame. Aaron Dell made 14 saves in relief. Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl and Joe Thornton scored for San Jose.
The Vegas Golden Knights scored two shorthanded goals and one on a power play to defeat the San Jose Sharks 5-3 in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round at SAP Center.
The Shark Tank was rocking after San Jose erased a three-goal deficit in the closing minutes of the first period and appeared to score again in the opening minute of the second.
Then, the referee waved it off for goalie interference and gave Vegas a power play that changed the momentum of the game and possibly the series.
Mark Stone scored the tie-breaking goal on a power play and the Golden Knights responded after the first-period collapse to beat the Sharks Friday night to tie their playoff series at one game apiece.
“For our power play to come out and really bear down was obviously a big swing,” Stone said. “There’s momentum swings in playoff games every night. Every game is a new chapter in a series and tonight was a big win for us.”
The teams packed an entire game into the opening minutes with the Golden Knights scoring three goals in the first 6:11 and the Sharks rallying for three more in the final 3:01 to become the first team in NHL history to tie a playoff game in the first period after falling behind 3-0.
The craziness continued at the start of the second period when the Sharks briefly celebrated an apparent goal in the opening minute by Brent Burns. That quickly turned to frustration when the officials waved off the goal because Logan Couture interfered with Marc-Andre Fleury, giving the Golden Knights the power play that led to the game-winning goal.
“It was awesome,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. “It was definitely the right call. He hit him in the head. He tried to play the puck, he was defending his goal, he’s trying to play the puck and a guy skates through the blue paint and bumps him in the head. To me, it’s pretty obvious. I don’t know what they’re saying down there.”
Predictably, that wasn’t the view from the Sharks side, with coach Peter DeBoer calling it a “travesty.” DeBoer said he believed Fleury was outside the crease when contact was made and was upset the referee called a penalty on what he thought was incidental contact because that prevented a chance at a replay review.
“That one call is a two-goal swing and devastating for our group,” DeBoer said. “It’s a shame.”
Stone converted from the slot after a scramble for his third goal of the series and Vegas held on from there, thanks in part to 34 saves from Fleury.
Cody Eakin, Colin Miller and Max Pacioretty all scored in the first period to stake the Golden Knights to the big lead after losing the opener 5-2. William Karlsson added a short-handed goal in the third to ice it.
Game 3 will be Sunday night in Las Vegas.
Couture, Tomas Hertl and Joe Thornton scored for the Sharks, who were doomed by the lackluster start and a poor power play. Martin Jones was pulled for Aaron Dell after allowing three goals on seven shots.
Perhaps even more concerning for San Jose was the fact that defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic left after blocking a shot in the second period and didn’t return. Couture also missed significant time in the second period after being hit in the groin area by a shot but returned for the third.
The Sharks had chances to tie it with an early power play, but allowed a goal on a breakaway from Karlsson instead to fall behind 5-3. They finished 1 for 8 with the man advantage, along with allowing two short-handed goals.
“We just got outworked, plain and simple,” forward Evander Kane said. “We can’t give up two short-handed goals and expect to win in the postseason. We just got outworked.”
Gallant had been unhappy with the compete level of his team in the opener, but that wasn’t a problem early as Eakin scored just 58 seconds into the game after being left alone in the slot and the Golden Knights controlling the play early.
They even killed off one minute of a two-man advantage and scored a short-handed goal just after Colin Miller came back on the ice as he stole a back pass from Erik Karlsson and beat Jones on the rush to make it 2-0.
Pacioretty added his goal less than two minutes later after a turnover from Vlasic and it appeared as if the rout was on before a reckless penalty by Miller negated a Vegas power play.
The Sharks got on the board during 4-on-4 play with tic-tac-toe passing from Karlsson to Pavelski to Couture, who put the puck into an open net.
Karlsson’s shot from the point on the man advantage deflected off Hertl to make it a one-goal game and Thornton tied it with 52 seconds left in the period when he redirected a pass from Brenden Dillon after Evander Kane’s hustle created the scoring chance.
NOTES: Miller played in place of Nick Holden after sitting in the opener. He scored the short-handed goal, but also took two penalties. … Jones has been pulled in five of 14 career starts against Vegas.
UP NEXT
Game 3 is Sunday night in Las Vegas.
Read more at: San Jose Sharks Media Services / More AP NHL
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For more on the San Jose Sharks, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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Sharks vs Golden Knights – 1st RD Game #1 – 2019 Video Highlights
2019.04.10 (Sharks vs. VGK) Pavelski’s Painful Goal! See blog below
Pavelski’s Painful Goal! Sharks dominate Golden Knights
San Jose Sharks’ Joe Pavelski, center, right before his goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Wednesday, April 10, 2019, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
2019.04.10 – Joe Pavelski took a puck off his chin to score the opening goal and the San Jose Sharks dominate the Vegas Golden Knights with a 5-2 victory in Game 1 of their first-round series.
Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Evander Kane added goals in a wild second period that featured heavy hitting, a parade to the penalty box and the high intensity expected in a series between two franchises that have become fierce rivals in just two seasons.
Tomas Hertl added an empty-net goal and Martin Jones made 24 saves to get San Jose started off right in this series heading into Game 2 on Friday night.
Mark Stone scored both goals for the Golden Knights, who struggled to generate much offense at all against a Sharks team that has appeared to shake off a late-season slide in time for the postseason. Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves.
The captain set the tone for the Sharks with his goal in the first period and then his presence on the ice in the second despite playing hurt thanks to taking a puck to his face.
With the Sharks on the power play, Pavelski went to the front of the net, where he is usually so adept at tipping pucks with his stick for goals. Burns’ point shot came in high and hit him in the chin instead before bouncing into the net.
Pavelski was unable even to celebrate, heading straight to the dressing room for treatment while the crowd roared at the series-opening goal. There was concern in the arena when Pavelski didn’t come out to start the second but he re-emerged early in the period with a bloody mouth and a full shield to protect his injured face.
Things then got wild early in the period following a series of penalties. After coincidental minors to San Jose’s Brenden Dillon and Jonathan Marchessault left the teams playing four on four, the Sharks went on a power play when Deryk Engelland was called for a trip.
That was quickly negated when Pavelski was called for tripping, creating the rare 3-on-3 in the playoffs. The Sharks capitalized when Erik Karlsson fed Burns, who beat Fleury from the top of the circle with a wrister to make it 2-0.
Then with the teams back at 4-on-4 less than a minute later, Joe Thornton set up Vlasic in the slot for the goal that made it 3-0.
The Golden Knights got on the board seconds after Pavelski’s penalty ended when Stone got inside of Burns at the side of the net to knock in a loose puck.
But the Sharks regained the three-goal lead with 17.1 seconds remaining in the period when Kane deftly deflected a perfect pass from Karlsson at the point past Fleury.
Stone scored late in the third on a power play to make it 4-2. But Jones stopped Reilly Smith on a breakaway with less than three minutes left and Hertl sealed it with his empty-netter.
The Sharks went into the series looking to avoid the slow starts that have plagued them against Vegas the past two seasons. The Golden Knights had scored in the first five minutes in eight of 14 meetings, including all four this season.
But San Jose didn’t even allow a shot on goal in the first five minutes, spending most of the time in Vegas’ zone. The Sharks then got on the board late in the period in painful fashion with Pavelski’s goal after fourth-liner Micheal Haley drew a penalty on Pierre-Edouard Bellemare for the game’s first power play.
NOTES: Karlsson had two assists in his second game back after missing 17 games with a groin injury. … Fleury has allowed at least four goals in all three games since missing nearly three weeks with a lower-body injury.
UP NEXT
Game 2 is Friday night in San Jose.
Read more at: San Jose Sharks Media Services / More AP NHL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the San Jose Sharks, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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NHL Announces 2019 Sharks First Round Stanley Cup Playoff Dates
Sharks Will Battle the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Playoffs For the Second Straight Year
2019.04.07 – SAN JOSE, CA – The National Hockey League announced today the dates for the San Jose Sharks First Round playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights. The teams previously met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Second Round in 2018.
The Sharks/Knights playoff series will begin on Wed., April 10 at 7:30 p.m. PDT at SAP Center at San Jose. The entire schedule is listed at top of this release.
All San Jose Sharks playoff games can be heard on the 98.5 KFOX (KUFX-FM) and the San Jose Sharks Radio Network (the Sharks pre-game show will air live in its entirety on KFOX starting ½ hour before every game).
RELATED: San Jose Sharks Announce 2019 First Round Broadcast Schedule – All Games to Be Carried Live on NBCSCA and on the Sharks Radio Network
PLAYOFF MODE! TICKETS SWEEPSTAKES
The Sharks are 32-14-4 against Western Conference opponents. San Jose has scored 289 goals and is first in the Western Conference averaging 3.5 goals per game. Joe Pavelski leads the team with 38.
The Golden Knights are 18-8-3 against the rest of their division. Vegas leads the NHL shooting 34.3 shots per game while averaging 3.0 goals. The teams meet Wednesday for the fifth time this season. San Jose and Vegas tied the regular season series 2-2.
TOP PERFORMERS: Pavelski leads the Sharks with 38 goals and has totaled 64 points. Tomas Hertl has totaled four goals and seven assists over the last 10 games for San Jose.
Nate Schmidt leads the Golden Knights with a plus-22 in 61 games played this season. Reilly Smith has scored five goals over the last 10 games for Vegas.
LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Knights: 3-5-2, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.7 assists, 3.6 penalties and 8.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game with a .903 save percentage.
Sharks: 3-6-1, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.4 assists, 3.7 penalties and 8.8 penalty minutes while giving up 3.6 goals per game with a .871 save percentage.
Sharks vs Golden Knights – 2019 Video Highlights
2019.03.30 (Sharks vs. VGK) It’s Burns in OT! See blog below
It’s Burns in Overtime! Sharks past Golden Knights
Brent Burns #88 of the San Jose Sharks throws hands up to celebrate his overtime goal for the win to the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center on March 30, 2019 in San Jose, California (Photo by Brandon Magnus/NHLI via Getty Images)
2019.03.30 – Brent Burns blasted a power-play goal from above the left face-off circle just 22 seconds into overtime. It’s Burns in overtime!
The San Jose Sharks clinched home-ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 4-3 overtime victory against the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center, which kick off on April 10.
The Sharks clinched second place in the Pacific Division, ending their longest skid of the season and sending Vegas to its franchise-worst fifth straight loss.
“We needed a win and we found a way,” San Jose Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said.
The teams are likely to meet in the first round of the playoffs.
“Every time we play these guys, it’s always a hard-fought game. You definitely feel the intensity out there,” Sharks forward Evander Kane said. “It’s fun to be a part of that game. I’m sure we’ll see these guys again very soon.”
The Sharks led the division as recently as March 12, when they defeated Winnipeg for their sixth straight win.
Injuries to defenseman Erik Karlsson and center Joe Pavelski, both All-Stars, have figured prominently in their slide, and DeBoer said unspecified injuries to centers Melker Karlsson and Lukas Radil are a concern.
“I don’t know if we’re ready” for the playoffs, DeBoer said. “You’ve got a list of four or five pretty good players sitting out, you’re not ready for the playoffs, obviously, but if we can get healthy, we know our game. I know we lost seven, but we played a lot of good hockey this year, so I think we’re confident in our game.”
San Jose remained mathematically alive in the Pacific Division title race, closing to within six points of first-place Calgary in the Pacific Division. A regulation loss would have eliminated them from contention.
Colin Miller took a hooking penalty with 54.7 seconds left in regulation, setting up the power play.
Tomas Hertl, Kane and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for San Jose, and Martin Jones made 23 saves.
San Jose hadn’t lost more than seven straight since a 10-game skid Nov. 5-30, 2005, when it went 0-7-3.
“To win a game, it feels like it’s been three months, honestly,” Sharks center Logan Couture said. “When you don’t win, you feel it weighing on you, so it’s a relief to finally win one.”
William Karlsson had a goal and had an assist for the Golden Knights. Cody Eakin and Shea Theodore also scored, and Malcolm Subban stopped 30 shots.
“We’re losing too much,” Karlsson said. “Things have been going way my, but that’s in the past. We have to look forward.”
Karlsson opened the scoring at 3:54 of the first period. The Sharks tied it at 58 seconds of the second period on Hertl’s 35th goal of the season and fourth in five games.
Eakin flicked in a backhander past Jones at 5:30 of the second period for his 21st goal to give Vegas a 2-1 lead.
Kane tied it for San Jose with his 29th goal at 7:22 of the third period.
Vlasic scored at 11:26 of the third period, and Theodore tied it for Vegas less than 40 seconds later.
“There’s pride in the rivalry and that’s the way it’s going to be,” Eakin said. “There was a lot of stuff going on we could have straightened out. Four-on-three is tough at the end, in overtime. It could have gone either way. They’re going to be playing hard and I’m sure they enjoyed it as much as we did.”
NOTES: Vegas G Marc-Andre Fleury (lower body injury) missed his eighth straight game. … Vegas’ Ryan Reaves was assessed a 10-minute misconduct penalty and two minutes for roughing for his role in a brawl late in the first period. Sharks C Joe Thornton was assessed a two-minute penalty for roughing.
UP NEXT
Vegas: Hosts Edmonton on Monday night.
San Jose: Hosts Calgary on Sunday night.
Read more at: San Jose Sharks Media Services / More AP NHL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the San Jose Sharks, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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