{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Hockey League
Vegas 5, San Jose 4
When: 6:00 PM ET, Friday, November 24, 2017
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Referees: Jake Brenk, Dave Jackson
Linesmen: Steve Barton, Scott Cherrey
Attendance: 18094

LAS VEGAS -- The Vegas Golden Knights tied an NHL record for a team in its inaugural season with its eighth straight home win on Friday afternoon at T-Mobile Arena. But head coach Gerard Gallant was the first to admit the 5-4 overtime victory over San Jose wasn't one of his team's better efforts.

"Tonight, it looked like we didn't have any legs," Gallant said after his team blew a 4-1 second period lead. "We were on the wrong side of the puck a lot tonight, and we were having a tough night. Again, we found some ways to score some goals, and we found a way to win."

Jonathan Marchessault jammed in a shot during a scrum on the left side of the net at 1:21 of overtime to give the Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights (14-6-1) the victory, tying the NHL record for most consecutive wins by a team in an inaugural season set by the Toronto Arenas in 1917-18.

"It was a lucky bounce and a good win," Marchessault said of his seventh goal of the season. "I just tried to bring it to the net and I think I got lucky. I saw it go in because I was on top of the goalie right there. ... It's a lucky bounce."

William Karlsson scored two goals for Vegas, which also snapped San Jose's three-game road win streak. Karlsson, who had never finished with more than 10 goals in a season before joining the Golden Knights, now has 12 this season, including six in his last four games.

Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl, Chris Tierney and Mikkel Boedker scored goals for San Jose, which appeared to win it in regulation when Logan Couture rifled a pass from Burns past Malcolm Subban's stick side. But after a lengthy video review, the goal was waved off because Joonas Donskoi clipped Subban's skate on the edge of the blue paint about two seconds before the goal.

"I haven't seen the replay," Couture said. "I asked the ref, he said skate on skate. Donskoi was skating through the crease and if that's the case, he was skating through the crease and it's no goal.

"I don't know," San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said when asked his opinion of the goal reversal. "We'll just deal with it and keep moving forward."

"I thought I felt something," Subban, who came in to start the third period for Maxime Lagace, who Gallant said became ill. "I wasn't sure what it was. I was in the heat of the moment. I've had a lot bigger goaltender interference goals. I'm just trying to stop the puck so if someone hits me, I'm just trying to get back into position."

Vegas jumped out to a 2-0 lead in first period on defenseman Shea Theodore's first goal of the season and James Neal followed with a power-play goal over the blocker of San Jose goalie Martin Jones, the 250th career goal for Neal, to make it 2-0 after 11:16.

The Sharks (11-8-2) cut it to 2-1 when Hertl jammed in a pass from Donskoi, who knocked down a pass to the side of the goal and slid it over to Hertl cutting in alone in front of the net.

The Golden Knights then appeared to take control of the game early in the second period when Karlsson scored two goals in less than seven minutes. The first came on a power play just 10 seconds into the period on a rebound of an Alex Tuch shot to make it 3-1, sending Jones to the bench for backup Aaron Dell after facing just 14 shots.

"We didn't help Jonesie out at all," DeBoer said. "I got him out of there because I didn't want to have him play a whole night in front of that. ... It was a track meet, it was pond hockey out there."

Karlsson then re-directed a pass from Marchessault to make it 4-1, but San Jose rallied to tie it with three straight goals in a 11-minute span.

Burns, playing in his 900th career game, slapped in a shot from the right point to make it 4-2, Tierney followed with his fifth goal of the season when he re-directed Justin Braun's shot from the right point, and Boedker tied it with a power-play goal on a rebound with 49 seconds left in the period.

Thornton was credited with his second assist of the game on Boedker's goal, the 1,017th assist of his career, which moved him past Joe Sakic into 12th place on the NHL's all-time assists list.

NOTES: Both teams faced quick turnarounds after the game. San Jose flew home to host Winnipeg on Saturday night while the Golden Knights traveled to Arizona to play the Coyotes, also on Saturday night. ... The Sharks entered the game leading the NHL in penalty kill (89.7 percent), shots allowed per game (28.3) and goals allowed per game (2.20). San Jose had also killed 59 of 63 penalties (93.7 percent) over the previous 19 games but gave up two to the Golden Knights. ... RW Kevin Labanc, C Melker Karlsson and D Tim Heed were scratched by San Jose while LW Tomas Nosek and D Jon Merrill were scratched by the Golden Knights.
Top Game Performances
 
San Jose   Vegas
Joe Thornton 2 Points Jonathan Marchessault 3
Mikkel Boedker 1 Goals William Karlsson 2
Joe Thornton 2 Assists Jonathan Marchessault 2
Mikkel Boedker 1 Power Play Goals William Karlsson 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Aaron Dell .895 Save Percentage Malcolm Subban 1.000
Aaron Dell 17 Saves Maxime Lagace 19
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
San Jose 26 4 1-2 2-4 8 26
Vegas 33 5 2-4 1-2 4 36
Upcoming Games
  • Vegas will play their next game on the road against Arizona. The Golden Knights have a W/L % of .692 after a win and .625 after a loss.
  • San Jose will play their next game at home against Winnipeg. The Sharks have a W/L % of .417 after a win and .667 after a loss.