FSM Essential Recap: Golden Knights vs Sharks - Game 55 - 2023

FSM Essential Recap: Golden Knights vs Sharks – Game 55 – 2023

Franchise Sports Media

Vegas Golden Knights (33-18-4)  | San Jose Sharks  (17-28-11)

 

Late heroics from William Carrier lifts the Golden Knights over the San Jose Sharks 2-1, securing a fourth-straight win.

The Golden Knights vs Sharks first period.

It was a last-second effort from William Carrier that scored to help the Vegas Golden Knights prevail over their Pacific Division rival San Jose Sharks 2-1.

In recent games, Carrier had similar chances that did not pay off, but this time it did after shooting the puck in front of the net with 17.7 seconds left.

“I might have shot that one little hard and high,” Carrier said. “I was going to make sure (the goalie) was not going to get anything on it.”

The victory gives Vegas their fourth-straight win and still puts them in first place in the Pacific Division that has rotated between the Golden Knights and the Seattle Kraken since the holidays.

“It’s not easy to win in this league. We talked about being comfortable in low-scoring games,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We gave up not very much, so that shows me we were defending well. Offensively, we created some looks we didn’t finish on. … We stuck with it. You come back in the third period to win a hockey game. That’s not easy to do in the League either.

It was a night for the goaltenders, especially with a first period that was scoreless.

For the game, Vegas goaltender Adin Hill who finished the night with 26 saves and San Jose’s Kaapo Kahkonen had 36 saves.

The Sharks’ penalty kill, which is ranked fourth in the league stopped, the Golden Knights’ chances of scoring on seven power play opportunities they had in total.

“There were some times we were able to generate some momentum,” Eichel said. “When you go 0-for-7, it’s not very good. So, that’s something we probably have to address and we need to figure it out.”

In the second period, the Sharks went on the board 1-0 after Alexander Barabanov scored off a rebound.

”I don’t want to go down that path, but you’d be hard pressed to find a hockey game where one team takes seven penalties and the other only takes one,” Sharks head coach David Quinn said. ”Frustrating, but give our penalty kill a ton of credit. They did a hell of a job. Our goalie was outstanding.”

The Golden Knights vs Sharks end of the first period.

The third period is deadlocked between the Golden Knights and the Sharks until the last minute.

The Golden Knights vs Sharks third period.

The Sharks went into the third period the lead, but just over 1:26 into the period the Golden Knights nearly tied the game from a goal from Jonathan Marchessault but was overturned because the referee determined he pushed Kahkonen’s pad over the line.

The overturned goal did not stop Vegas from fighting back into the game; just five minutes later Paul Cotter tied the game after receiving a pass from Eichel on a 2-on-1 breakaway to put the Golden Knights on the board 1-1.

The goal from Cotter extended his goal streak to three games, and Eichel has five points (two goals, three assists) in those three games.

The game remained tied until Carrier scored the late goal, which gave Vegas the victory 2-1, also continuing their dominance over the San Jose Sharks overall, leading 20-2-4 all-time.

“It was a good win by us. I thought we found a way to get it done. That’s what matters,” Eichel said. “Their goalie made some big saves. They played hard and didn’t give us a ton. We generated a ton by ourselves. Give them credit, it was a tight game. Good to find a way to win.”

The Golden Knights vs Sharks final score is 2-1.

Takeaway

The Golden Knights vs Sharks takeaway.

The Golden Knights will remain at home when they play against the Tampa Bay Lightning at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday. The puck drops at 7:30 pm. The game can be seen on  AT&T SportsNet (channel 313 on Cox Cable) or heard on 98.9 FM, FOX Sports Las Vegas 1340 AM.