Video Credit: NHL

FSM Essential Recap: Golden Knights vs. Sharks- Game 46

Franchise Sports Media

 

The second matchup in a row between the Vegas Golden Knights and the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night featured a lot more emotion as the divisional rivals got fired up early on, with quite a few scuffles breaking out in the first period.

 

Golden Knights vs Sharks
Photo Credit: Recorder Online

The opening seven minutes saw both teams score early goals, with San Jose notching the first score of the game not even three minutes after play had begun. Timo Meier opened up the scoring as he drove to the net and was able to tip in a centering pass from Joel Kellman, which seemed to come out of nowhere. VGK answered back four minutes later after having some extended zone time in the Sharks end after Jonathan Marchessault drove to the net after receiving a pass from William Karlsson and pulling off a nice move before getting the puck past Josef Korenar.

Just past the halfway mark of the period, San Jose was given a powerplay after Shea Theodore was called for interference, this was after Pacioretty and Brent Burns were given offsetting minors, so it was a 4 on 3 situation. The best chance came from Max Pacioretty as he exited the box though on a breakaway, but Korenar was able to stifle the puck before it moved past him. About a minute and a half later, Marc Andre Fleury came up with a miraculous save in what appeared to be a sure goal for the Sharks, denying a bid on what seemed to be a wide-open net. Vegas finished the period with 19 shots to San Jose’s 8 and went into the first intermission with  1:32 of powerplay time left.

 

Vegas struggled on the first two powerplay chances in the second period but were able to finally break through to take the lead for the first time in the game as the period ended.

 

Golden Knights vs Sharks
Photo Credit: Yahoo

After the carry-over time from the Knights first-period powerplay ran out, Erik Karlsson almost immediately hooked Alex Tuch to give VGK their second opportunity of the night, but they were unable to register any real high danger chances. Just past the halfway mark, San Jose took back the lead with a goal from Tomas Hertl after Fleury gave up a dangerous rebound which the Sharks forward took advantage of from the left circle. One minute later, the Sharks took another penalty, and this time the Knights were able to capitalize thanks to captain Mark Stone.

Max Pacioretty sent a hard pass to Stone as he waited on the left side of the net, and he wasted no time spinning and sending the puck past Korenar to tie the game up. It was his third powerplay goal in two games. With 3:10 remaining, Alex Tuch was called for roughing, but Vegas was able to kill off the penalty, and it looked like both teams would enter the third period with a tied score. However, in the last minute, Shea Theodore was able to find Alex Tuch next to a wide-open net, and the forward quickly got a shot off and scored a goal putting his team up by one heading into the final intermission.

 

In the third period the VGK were able to control the final twenty minutes and add a few goals to pad their lead en route to a franchise record eight wins in a row.

 

Golden Knights vs Sharks
Photo Credit: Yahoo

Vegas was the only team to score in the third period, and their fourth goal came late in the period with 6:42 remaining as Jonathan Marchessault buried a one-timer from the right circle after receiving a pass from Mattias Janmark. Two minutes later, the Knights took a too many men on the ice penalty, giving the Sharks one last glimmer of hope for a comeback.

The penalty was ultimately killed though before San Jose was forced to pull their goalie, leaving the net exposed. With 55.1 remaining, Mattias Janmark scored his first goal with VGK on the empty net, with the assist going to Marchessault, who registered the first four-point game of his career. The Knights won 5-2 for a franchise-record eight-game winning streak and advanced to 7-0 against San Jose this season.

With the win, Vegas became the first team this season to clinch a playoff spot and will only have to worry about clinching home ice in the remainder of the season.

 

Looking Forward: 

 

Riding the longest streak in franchise history, Vegas’ next opponent will be the lowly Anaheim Ducks after getting a two-day break in between games. VGK has an excellent opportunity to pad their lead on the Colorado Avalanche and solidify their position as first in the division as the regular season comes to a close. Additionally, they can further increase their franchise winning streak to nine games as they do not have to travel far and will be coming into Saturday’s game with a fresh set of legs.

 

The Vegas Golden Knights will resume play Saturday evening against The Anaheim Ducks at The Honda Center. The puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. and will be on AT&T Sportsnet and FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340.

 

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-D.J. Wood– Franchise Sports Media

Follow D.J. on Twitter @DJwoody97

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