The San Jose Sharks played catch-up all Friday night, but could not match the final goal from the Vegas Golden Knights.
Logan Couture and Kevin Leblanc scored in the third period to rally the Sharks from a 2-4 deficit and force extra time.
Max Pacioretty put an end to the race with the OT winner in the second minute of the session. It was his second goal of the game.
Oscar Dansk made 25 saves to get the win for the Knights.
“Oscar’s a guy who a lot has been asked of him,” Pacioretty said. “He’s one of the most upbeat guys in the room and in practice, working hard. It’s real nice to see him get the win. Guys like that, you want to win for.”
The game was Dansk’s first in the NHL since 2018.
“Going into this game, I know it’s been a while since I’ve played in this league,” Dansk said. “I don’t expect it to be a perfect game. It rarely is.”
Brent Burns and Matt Nieto also scored for the Sharks.
“Tonight’s a team that put their heads down, worked hard, battled through adversity … and just kept fighting,” Sharks head coach Bob Boughner said. “We found a way to get a point and, in the midst of all that, I thought we stuck together and played a real hard game.”
Reilly Smith and Chandler Stephenson staked the Golden Knights to a 2-0 lead.
“They’re a team where they don’t need a lot of chances, but that’s the best team in the West,” Boughner said. “We battled them toe-to-toe.”
Alex Tuch also scored for Vegas, his sixth goal in six games.
“You’ve got to have the mindset that you’re trying to attack them at 3-on-3,” Pacioretty said. “I’ve had a lot of looks like that as of late, and I’ve gotten a lot of wood on them and they haven’t gone in. I kind of fanned on that one, and that one ends up going in. It’s the way the game goes, I guess.”
Martin Jones got the start and then got the hook early in the middle frame after yielding three goals and making just five saves.
Devan Dubnyk made 17 saves the rest of the way.
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