Golden Knights Beat Sharks in Tomas Hertl’s Return to San Jose – The Hockey Writers Vegas Golden Knights Latest News, Analysis & More

The Vegas Golden Knights scored four goals in the third period, including two shorthanded goals on the same penalty kill, to defeat the San Jose Sharks 6-3 for their ninth win in their last 10 games.

The game marked Tomas Hertl’s first appearance at SAP Center with the Golden Knights. Hertl spent most of his first 11 NHL seasons with the Sharks, with whom he played over 700 games and registered nearly 500 points along with 42 playoff points.

Game Recap

The action in this game began before the first puck drop when the Sharks honored Hertl with a video tribute and a strong ovation from the San Jose crowd.

After a back-and-forth opening stretch, Vegas struck first, using their speed to create an odd-man rush and an open look for Noah Hanifin, who fired a perfectly placed top-corner shot for a Golden Knights lead. They used this goal as momentum, dominating play for several minutes, but failed to expand their advantage. Eventually, the Sharks took advantage, and Shakir Mukahamdullin tied the game with his first career goal. He scored on a fluky shot, likely going wide if not for a deflection by Vegas goalie Adin Hill, but it counted all the same on the scoreboard.

The second period included two goals in less than three minutes, when Mark Stone won a scramble at the net to knock in a go-ahead goal, only for Will Smith to tie the game shortly thereafter on an even more chaotic play in the crease. Smith’s goal seemed to boost the Sharks, as they spent much of the next 10 minutes stringing together high-pressure shifts and threatening in the Vegas zone. Their effort culminated in a goal for Tyler Toffoli which gave San Jose their first lead of the game, once again on a bizarre deflection, this time off of both Hill and Nicolas Hague.

Related: Sharks’ Last 2 Games Show They Shouldn’t Rush Askarov

But in the third period, the game flipped in favor of the Golden Knights, oddly thanks to a penalty against them. The tripping call against Alexander Holtz created a brief four-on-four, and Vegas won the ensuing faceoff, leading to a Brayden McNabb goal just as the Sharks power play began — a shorthanded goal in name only, but a shorty nonetheless. The real backbreaker came 23 seconds later when a bad play by the Sharks on the boards led to another Golden Knights breakaway and a crafty goal for Jack Eichel. Pavel Dorofiyev added on a few minutes later to fully give Vegas control, and Brett Howden tacked on a late empty-netter for good measure.

The two teams continued their movement in opposite directions in the standings — the Golden Knights continue to hold the NHL’s best points percentage, while the Sharks are second-worst in that category.

Other Notes

• Smith’s goal was the first goal for either Smith or Macklin Celebrini where the other had the primary assist.
• 23 seconds between shorthanded goals is the second-shortest time allowing two shorthanded goals in Sharks franchise history.
• The Golden Knights are outscoring opponents 53-25 in the third period this season.
• Hill has not lost to the Sharks since they traded him to Vegas in the 2022 offseason.

The Sharks are right back in action on Saturday night (Dec. 28) to host the Calgary Flames, while the Golden Knights’ next game is also a home game against Calgary, taking place on Sunday (Dec. 29).