The San Jose Sharks might have been better off staying on the road.
After a 12-game road trip to start the season, the Sharks opened their home schedule with a thud, in a 3-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday afternoon.
“It was nice. Really cool feeling coming out of the shark head again,” the Sharks’ Logan Couture said. “They had our fans on a screen when we were walking out. Special fans here. We wish [the arena] was full. We miss them every day.”
Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves picked up the win for the Knights.
“These games are never easy when you’re coming back into a situation like this,” Vegas head coach Peter DeBoer said of his return to San Jose. “It was great to catch up with some people I’ve got a lot of time and respect for and went through a lot of wars with. That was the nice part. The game, you want to get through it and get out. It was a hard-fought game at ice level.”
Vegas improved to 9-2-1.
“It’s been about a year since I’ve had three games in a row,” Fleury said. “When you split [starts], you always get time for rest and to prepare for your next matchup. I feel like you feel the game a little better [playing more], feel more relaxed. You can feel more comfortable from the start.”
Jonathan Marchessault, Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson were the Vegas high rollers.
“[Thursday] was on the players,” Stephenson said. “[Fleury] did everything he could for us to win. To come out with another performance like this … he’s the backbone of the team. Whenever we need a save or some momentum, he’s always there.”
Martin Jones made 23 saves in the loss.
“When your team plays hard and your team plays well, and you still lose the game, it’s a lot easier to swallow than when you beat yourselves, and I don’t think we beat ourselves tonight,” Sharks head coach Bob Boughner said. “We didn’t find enough offense, but I don’t think you can say after the game that the team on the other side really handled us and really outplayed us and we just didn’t show up. That’s not the case.”
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