San Jose Sharks Pay Vegas A Visit, With Golden Knights Taking SO Win Over San Jose, 5-4, Sunday; Attendance Announced At 17,849

 

   

---

Story by Alan Snel   Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell

The Golden Knights know all too well about trying to heal the upset emotions of local Las Vegans after a mass shooting.

The October 1 killing of 58 people at a country music festival on the Strip came just nine days before the Golden Knights played their first even regular season home game as a National Hockey League franchise.

The Knights vowed to play that healing role again during a pregame speech by T-Mobile Arena public address announcer Bruce Cusick before the VGK vs San Jose Sharks game tonight with an announced crowd of 17,849 in the Big Ice House by the Strip.

The lives of three UNLV professors killed by a shooter Wednesday were remembered and the first responders were recognized for stopping even more lost lives thanks to their quick action of taking out the shooter in a gunfight.

Earlier in the day before the Raiders vs Vikings game at Allegiant Stadium, the Raiders also remembered the two fallen Nevada state troopers killed during early morning stop on Interstate 15 in Las Vegas and the three UNLV professors murdered by the shooter.

*

The San Jose Sharks are not the same team that played the Vegas Golden Knights in the playoffs during the VGK’s first two postseasons in 2018 and 2019. The San Jose roster inclides Tomas Hertl and Kevin Labanc, but most of the current Sharks players did not play in those VGK-San Jose playoff battles.

The Sharks scored early against the Knights and goalie Jiri Patera for a 1-0 lead a mere 29 seconds into the game.

The Knights controlled most of the first period after the early Sharks score, but could not convert some good scoring chances as San Jose led, 1-0, after one period.

*

A little more than five minutes into the second period, Jonathan Marchessault scored his 13th goal of the season with a quick wrist shot past San Jose goalie Kaapo Kahkonen.

The Knights took a 2-1 lead on a power play goal by Chandler Stephenson, who deflected a pass by Alex Pietrangelo into the goal.

Patera also settled in to play a solid game after the early goal less than a half-minute into the game.

After two periods, the Knights led, 2-1.

*

The Knights Brayden McNabb scored off a nice pass from Jack Eichel and the VGK extended their lead to 3-1 early in the third period.

The Knights’ two-goal lead did not last long.

The Sharks’ Mike Hoffman scored to get San Jose within a goal at 3-2.

Marchessault has a nose for the net.

He fired a puck past Kahkonen for his second goal of the game and 14th of the season to restore the Knights’ two-goal lead at 4-2 in the third.

The Sharks would not go away. San Jose defenseman Calen Addison notched his first goal of the season to cut the VGK lead to 4-3.

The Knights failed to close the deal, though. VGK blew a 4-2 third period lead when San Jose pulled Kahkonen and scored a 6-on-5 goal with 38.2 seconds left in the third period. The Sharks passed the puck nicely and Hoffman notched the equalizer.

Off to overtime the game went.

After no score in OT, Eichel and Marchessault scored in the shootout to give the Knights the 5-4 win.

The Knights improved to 19-5-5 for 43 points.

---