From dominance to defeat: Golden Knights fall to Sharks to force Game 7 Series heads back to San Jose Tuesday after Vegas’ double-overtime loss It was an epic that would make The Odyssey blush, the kind of game that’s worth it in the end for the winning team. For the losing team, it’s a major disappointment regardless of the circumstances. Lose on a short-handed goal in double overtime, however, and it could be a soul-crusher. The Golden Knights succumbed to that fate in a 2-1 defeat to the San Jose Sharks in Game 6 of the teams’ first-round Stanley Cup playoff series Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena. They commanded every facet of the game with the ice appearing tilted towards the Sharks’ net and a power play in double overtime looking like the crack would finally break the dam. Instead, Tomas Hertl, who told a jubilant San Jose crowd after Game 5 that the team would be back for a Game 7, made good on his promise, scoring short-handed more than 90 minutes into the game. It was the first short-handed game-winner in multiple overtimes in NHL playoff history and sent the series to a decisive Game 7 scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the SAP Center in San Jose. “From the start to finish we had the puck a lot and dominated, so obviously this one is frustrating to lose,” goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. “It sucks tonight, but tomorrow is a new day, we got to get up. That’s what playoffs are about.” The Golden Knights outshot the Sharks 59-29. They had more shot attempts, 119-69. They had more scoring chances, more power plays, more hits, more faceoff wins, more takeaways and more of just about everything else. But the Sharks had more goals, and Jonathan Marchessault’s tally at 11:20 of the second period was all Vegas mustered. The Sharks opened the scoring on a Logan Couture low wrister as time was running out in the first period, then Hertl’s shot in double overtime sent the game back to San Jose. “The last goal, the only reason it went in was (defenseman Shea) Theodore slashed the stick,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “You tell your defenseman to play the guy’s stick. You blame the last goal on Fleury, shake your head.” The Golden Knights faced Martin Jones at his best. The Sharks goalie, who was pulled before the second period of two games this series, turned away 58 shots, a franchise record for a playoff game. The man who in Games 2, 3 and 4 had a .796 save percentage and 7.62 goals-against average has allowed one even-strength goal in two games since and posted a .967 save percentage. The Golden Knights were the better team by almost any measure, a fact not lost on the players in the room. Gallant said he wouldn’t change anything about the game but the final score and the team echoed the thought that there were plenty of positives takeaways. “One bounce was the difference,” forward Cody Eakin said. “One of those was bound to go in eventually. Keep plugging away at those and get to the blue point and we’ll get rewarded for it.” Now the Golden Knights face more than the physical challenge of trying to beat the Sharks in San Jose in Tuesday. They also have the added stress of knowing in the back of their minds that they held a 3-1 lead in the series before a bitter overtime defeat. The exhaustion of skating nearly two full games of hockey on Sunday night will take its toll on both teams. But the Sharks could be rejuvenated going home for a winner-take-all home game. It’s up to the Golden Knights to make sure that they can put the previous two games behind them and take care of business in the first Game 7 in team history. “I’d rather be done, that’s for sure,” defenseman Deryk Engelland said. “That’s what you play for, those huge games, huge moments. We just have to regroup and be ready for the next game.”<doc-sep>“They said he cross-checked him across the face, and as we all saw, that didn’t happen,” Gallant said. “There was no high-stick that hit him in the face. When Stastny came out, he fell and banged his head on the ice. That’s the unfortunate part of it. It was an awful call. We’ve all seen it. It’s too bad we end up losing because of that because we’re in control of the hockey game.”<doc-sep>Wow. What else can you say after this game but "Wow"? The Golden Knights are up by three goals in the third period after Max Pacioretty scores 3:36 into the period. You think, as the minutes wind down, that this will be a Vegas win in Game 7 of the first-round series. But hold on. Joe Pavelski and Cody Eakin line up for a faceoff deep in Vegas' end. Off the puck drop, Eakin cross-checks Pavelski. The Sharks captain then bumps into Paul Stastny as he is falling and hits his head and shoulder directly on the ice. Pavelski appears to be knocked out and is bleeding. Whether or not it's the right call, Eakin is given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for cross-checking. Logan Couture scores just six seconds into the ensuing power play. As he says to the bench — that’s one. Forty-nine seconds later, it’s Tomas Hertl with the deflection goal. Two minutes and 44 seconds later, it’s Couture again with the tying goal. The Shark Tank is going crazy. Twenty-eight seconds later, it’s Kevin Labanc, and the Sharks have their first lead of the game. You probably think the game is over, but hold on again. Jonathan Marchessault fires a quick shot past Martin Jones with 47 seconds remaining in regulation. We're headed to overtime. Anyone will tell you overtime goals are usually scored in the first five minutes and the last five minutes of the extra session. Well, with one minute and 41 seconds remaining in the first OT period, Barclay Goodrow, who was on the ice for three of the Golden Knights' four goals during regulation, takes a pass, drives around the Vegas defense and buries the puck past a sprawled Fleury. Sharks win 5-4. It's the first Game 7 loss of Fleury's career. "I had a ton of energy," Goodrow tells NBC Sports Network analyst Ray Ferraro after the game. "I was sitting there for most of the overtime. I thought I might as well use my fresh legs to do something." Mission accomplished. Wow. What an ending, what a game. Sporting News tracked scores and highlights from Tuesday's Game 7 between the Golden Knights and Sharks: Golden Knights vs. Sharks: Score, highlights Final score — Sharks 5, Golden Knights 4 1:23 a.m. — What. An. Ending. 1:23 a.m. — GOAL. Barclay Goodrow. Wow. With under two minutes left in the first overtime, he drives to the net and tucks it around Fleury. What an ending. Sharks win 5-4. 1:17 a.m. — Both teams come within inches of scoring, within seconds of each other. 1:13 p.m. — Lots of back-and-forth action. Meier almost puts one past a leaning Fleury but Fleury gets the pad on it. 1:02 a.m — Big poke check by Fleury on Meier, who crashed the net. 12:55 a.m. — Two big stops by Fleury on Meier. 12:53 a.m. — Overtime starts. Third period — Golden Knights 4, Sharks 4 Shots: Golden Knights 29, Sharks 34 12:39 p.m. — We're heading to overtime. 12:36 p.m. — GOAL. This game is just, wow. Jonathan Marchessault buries it off the pass from Reilly Smith with 47 seconds left on the clock. Game tied at 4. 12:36 p.m. — One minute left. 12:36 p.m. — Goal post for Vegas. 12:35 p.m. — Just 90 seconds left. Fleury on the bench 12:32 a.m. — Martin Jones with a fantastic glove save on Mark Stone. 12:31 a.m. — Three minutes and 41 seconds left. Vegas to the power play trailing by one. 12:29 a.m. — Erik Karlsson makes the save of the game as he knocks the flying puck away. The crowd is loud and alive in San Jose. 12:23 a.m. — GOAL. What a turn of events. Kevin Labanc goes against the grain and beats Fleury over the shoulder. Sharks lead 4-3 The @SanJoseSharks have taken the lead late in the third. This game is crazy. Watch more here: https://t.co/Cxfh9sXayp pic.twitter.com/49AMqrbD61 — NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) April 24, 2019 Kevin Labanc of the @SanJoseSharks became the first player in NHL history to record 4 points in a period during a #Game7. #NHLStats #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/Ntf3Ph1eZc — NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 24, 2019 12:21 a.m. — GOAL. Great puck movement by the Sharks and Couture fires it from the point past Fleury. Wow. We're all tied up. Game tied at 3. 12:18 a.m. — GOAL. Here come the Sharks as Hertl deflects the Karlsson point shot. Still four minutes left on the power play. Vegas leads 3-2. 12:16 a.m. — GOAL. Logan Couture scores just six seconds in. Vegas leads 3-1. 12:15 a.m. — Eakin gets a five-minute major for cross-checking and is tossed. The replay shows that Eakin cross-checked Pavelski and Stastny bumped him. Pavelski's head and shoulder hit the ice. 12:12 a.m. — Pavelski is helped off the ice and is not really moving. 12:12 a.m. — Fans throw things on the ice. 12:11 a.m. — Off the draw, Joe Pavelski drops to the ice and does not move. He then gets up briefly and is seen to be bleeding. The doctors come out and Cody Eakin is immediately taken to the penalty box. He gets five and a game misconduct. Pavelski is cross-checked off the face-off and it looks like he hit his head on the ice. He had to be helped off the ice by his teammates. That's scary, awful, and the last thing you want to see. pic.twitter.com/OYqW0zP8GZ — Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) April 24, 2019 12:02 a.m. — GOAL. Max Pacioretty goes five-hole. Dagger for the Sharks. Vegas leads 3-0. 12:01 a.m. — So close as it goes off the post and a solid clear by Brayden McNabb in the paint. Dear Goal Post, HAVE WE TOLD YOUUUU LATELY THAT WE LOOOOOVEEEE YOU? — x-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 24, 2019 12:00 a.m. — After some sustained pressure from the Sharks, Eakin breaks in and is stopped by Jones. 11:58 p.m. — Third period starts. Period 3 coming up! pic.twitter.com/xH6XEDH3R3 — x-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) April 24, 2019 11:41 p.m. — Trying to get things going for the third with some alums.<doc-sep>Ethan Miller/Getty Images The penalty call that sparked the San Jose Sharks' stunning comeback win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs shouldn't have happened. The NHL apologized to Vegas for an incorrect five-minute major and game misconduct against Cody Eakin for a cross-check to Joe Pavelski in the third period, ESPN.com's Greg Wyshynski reported Thursday. The hit occurred midway through the third period. Pavelski fell to the ice, and blood began flowing from his head. Wyshynski noted Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant said the on-ice officials told him they thought Eakin hit Pavelski in the head with his stick, though replays showed he hit Pavelski in the chest. The NHL's official rulebook states a major penalty is determined at the referee's discretion "based on the degree of violence of the check, to a player guilty of charging an opponent." Per ESPN.com's Emily Kaplan, the officials on the ice who assessed the penalty, Dan O'Halloran and Eric Furlatt, won't officiate in the second round of the playoffs. After Eakin went to the penalty box, the Sharks scored four goals in four minutes to take a 4-3 lead. Vegas tied the score in the final minute of regulation before Barclay Goodrow won it for San Jose in overtime.<doc-sep>
If someone ever snickered at you for claiming that anything can happen in the hockey playoffs, merely direct them to Game 7 of the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks. At the tailend of a thrilling overtime period (did these two teams really just play a double-OT Game 6? ), Barclay Goodrow became the unlikely series-clincher in one of the least likely Game 7 comebacks you’ll ever see. The Sharks advance to Round 2 and a matchup against the Colorado Avalanche after beating the Golden Knights 5-4 in OT. San Jose wins the series 4-3. But they had to do that after falling behind 3-1 in the series, and carving their way out of a 3-0 deficit in Game 7. It’s the sort of game hockey lovers will pour over for ages, and fans of both teams are unlikely to forget. All things considered, that unlikely Goodrow goal seems fitting. How we got to overtime, against all odds On the strength of great goaltending from Marc-Andre Fleury, a Cody Eakin goal that required a review for a high-stick, and a groaner of a 3-0 goal for Max Pacioretty, it sure looked like the Golden Knights were going to skate away with Game 7. Then Eakin became a much bigger story than the fellow who scored what seemed, at the time, like a big goal. In a scary moment, Eakin hit Joe Pavelski, who hit the ice in an extremely scary way. Fair or not, the officials ejected Eakin from Game 7, whistling him for a game-changing major penalty. The Sharks went on to score an absurd four goals on the power play, flipping a 3-0 deficit to a 4-3 Sharks lead. With less than seven minutes remaining in the third period, the Golden Knights had to come to grips with the first lead change of this series. The Golden Knights failed to score on a power-play opportunity of their own, but Jonathan Marchessault delivered after Vegas showed serious resiliency in trying to come back, and a stunning Game 7 went to overtime. And the rest is … well, NHL history, and the Sharks will turn to a Round 2 series against the Avalanche. Credit the Golden Knights for forcing this contest to OT, but they couldn’t win it, and now their fans get a taste of something other hockey fans – particularly those of the Sharks – know all too well: the feeling of shock, and also, feeling like they were on the wrong end of the refs’ whistles. What a game, what a comeback, and what a series. — James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.