Golden Knights Suffer Painful 2-1 Double OT Loss To Sharks In Game 6 Before 18,458 Sunday; Game 7 In San Jose Tuesday

By Alan Snel

LVSportsBiz.com

 

LVSportsBiz.com photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell

 

The Golden Knights were on the power play in the second overtime against the San Jose Sharks and T-Mobile Arena’s fans were screaming their heads off in anticipation of the Knights winning Game 6 and clinching the first round playoff series.

 

Then seconds later, the Sharks’ Tomas Hertl streaked down the ice and shot the puck past VGK goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for a stunning short-handed goal to give San Jose a 2-1 double OT win and send this series to San Jose for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Tuesday.

 

The crowd of 18,458 went quiet and I heard the Sharks play-by-play broadcaster Randy Hahn behind me on press row scream, “Hertl just hit the jackpot.”

 

It was game over. Golden Knights fans left the building disappointed and dejected over a painful loss.

 

After the tough defeat, Fleury removed his skates, rubbed his face and a few minutes later he answered questions from the media at his locker.

More Fleury here.

The Golden Knights had rocked Sharks goalie Martin Jones to win Games 2, 3 and 4 and had a 3-1 lead in games over San Jose. But the Sharks defeated the Knights, 5-2, at the SAP Center in downtown San Jose Thursday to avoid elimination before winning Easter Sunday’s epic double-overtime battle. Jones stopped 58 of 59 shots.

 

 

The Knights’ fans came ready to celebrate. A VGK win Sunday would have marked the first time the franchise would have celebrated a postseason series win on home ice at the Big Ice House by the Strip. Many fans visited LVSportsBiz.com’s Top of the Escalator pregame segment to discuss their feelings about Game 6.

 

 

 

Some fans had their faces painted.

There was a festive atmosphere in the building as Knights fans were hoping the VGK would win and advance to play the Colorado Avalanche in Round 2. There were even a few celebrities in the Big Ice House like Lil Jon, who grabbed the mic in the third period and led a “one more goal” cheer.

 

 

The Sharks’ Logan Couture opened the scoring in the first period.

 

And Jonathan Marchessault tied the game at a goal apiece in the second period when the Knights began controlling the territorial edge. Here are photos of Marchessault’s goal and celebration.

 

 

 

 

The Knights had many scoring chances to register more goals. But Jones, who looked so shaky in previous games and losses to the Knights this series, stood tall and didn’t allow a puck into his net after Marchessault scored.

 

Here’s Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb after the game discussing the VGK performance and the need to reboot and rehydrate for Game 7.

Here are some of coach Gerard Gallant’s comments when he met with the media for a few minutes after the tough loss.

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