San Jose Sharks find new way to blow third period lead
SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks found a new way to lose a third-period lead Friday.
Up by a goal with less than 19 minutes left in regulation time, the Sharks allowed shorthanded goals to defenseman Brayden McNabb and center Jack Eichel in 23 seconds in what became a 6-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center.
The Sharks also allowed an even-strength goal to Pavel Dorofeyev at the 5:46 mark of the third period and an empty-netter to Brett Howden on their way to lose their sixth straight game.
Shakir Mukhamadullin scored his first career NHL goal, Will Smith had a goal and an assist, and Fabian Zetterlund added two assists for the Sharks, who have now blown third-period leads in five of their last six games.
Sharks goalie Alexandar Georgiev stopped 22 of the first 24 shots he saw but allowed goals on three of the first four shots he faced in the third period.
Noah Hanifin and Mark Stone also scored for Vegas, which won for the ninth time in 10 games to reaffirm its lead in the Pacific Division standings.
Friday’s games marked the 12th time this season, and the third time in the last four games, that the Sharks entered the third period with a lead. Another two times, the Sharks scored early in the third period, only to lose later in regulation.
Mukhamadullin’s first NHL goal came off a slap shot that appeared headed wide of the net. But when Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill kicked his right pad out to stop the shot, the puck hit his pad and bounced over it before it crossed the goal line.
Smith’s goal at the 5:53 mark of the second period, after a nifty neutral zone play by Macklin Celebrini, ended a seven-game goal drought for the 19-year-old forward and tied the game 2-2. Toffoli then scored from behind the Golden Knights’ net as his shot toward the crease caromed off Hill and into the net for his team-leading 14th of the season.
Just before the game, the Sharks have a two-minute video tribute to Golden Knights forward Tomas Hertl, who was playing his first game back in San Jose since being traded by San Jose to Vegas in March. Hertl, a first-round draft pick by the Sharks in 2012, had 484 points in 712 regular-season games for San Jose from 2013 to 2024.