Sharks snap 11-game skid vs Vegas with 5-4 shootout win
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LAS VEGAS — Thomas Bordeleau scored the only goal in a shootout to lift the San Jose Sharks to a 5-4 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night.
Vegas squandered a 4-2 lead with a little more than two minutes left in regulation, as Nick Bonino scored his second goal of the game at 17:54 of the third period and Timo Meier added the equalizer with 0.9 seconds remaining to silence what moments before was a raucous crowd of 18,367.
The Golden Knights outshot San Jose 6-1 in overtime, but Sharks goalie James Reimer was stellar in keeping everything out of the net.
The loss severely damaged Vegas’ playoff hopes with three games left in the season. Dallas can eliminate the Golden Knights by beating them in regulation Tuesday.
Tomas Hertl also scored for San Jose. Reimer stopped 42 shots.
Chandler Stephenson and Nic Roy each had a goal and an assist, and Max Pacioretty and William Carrier also scored for Vegas. Logan Thompson made 25 saves.
The Sharks snapped an 11-game losing streak against Vegas.
With a lot of traffic in front of Thompson’s net, Hertl snapped a loose puck top shelf to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead just past the midway point of the first period.
Vegas wasted no time with its first power-play opportunity moments later. The Golden Knights were able to get the puck to the front of the net, and after Mark Stone’s initial shot was stuffed by Reimer, Stephenson was there to smack home the rebound to make it 1-all.
The Golden Knights came out firing with early pressure in the second, but Reimer was outstanding in stopping their first five shots. Pacioretty then dared the challenge of a 1-on-3 rush.
Leaking through the Sharks and darting around San Jose defenseman Nicolas Meloche with a power move to the inside, Pacioretty snapped the puck into the upper corner to give Vegas a 2-1 lead.
Later in the period, Vegas forward Keegan Kolesar delivered a nifty drop pass via backhand across the slot, where Carrier was in position to deposit a welcome-back goal after missing the previous 10 games, pushing the Golden Knights’ lead to 3-1.
Bonino made it a one-goal game late in the second when he tipped in the redirect of Jaycob Megna’s shot from the point.
Shortly after failing to convert on its third power play, Vegas was able to keep the pressure in the Sharks’ zone. Showing incredible patience behind the net, William Karlsson fed Roy in the slot for a perfect opportunity to notch his 15th goal of the season and put the Golden Knights in front 4-2.
San Jose: Hosts Anaheim on Tuesday.
Vegas: Begins a season-ending, three-game road trip in Dallas on Tuesday.
