Golden Knights Beat Sharks on Tomas Hertl's Return to San Jose – Hockey Writers – Vegas Golden Knights

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

The game marked Tomas Hertl's first appearance at the 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 and 42 playoff points.

Recap of the game

The game started before the first puck was dropped as the Sharks honored Hertl with a video and a big ovation from the San Jose crowd.

After an opening back-and-forth, Vegas struck first, using its speed to create odd runs and open looks for Noah Hanifin, who fired a well-placed shot into the top corner to give the Golden Knights the lead. They used this goal as a boost, dominating the play for several minutes, but failed to increase their advantage. In the end, the Sharks took advantage, and Shakir Mukahamdullin tied the game with his first goal of the game. He scored on a curling shot, which might have gone wide if not for a deflection by Vegas goaltender Adin Hill, but it was the same on the scoreboard.

The second half included two goals in less than three minutes, with Mark Stone winning scratches to the net to score, with Will Smith tying the game soon after on a flurry of play in the crease. Smith's goal seemed to spur the Sharks on, as they spent much of the next 10 minutes putting together high-pressure shifts and threatening the Vegas zone. Their effort culminated in a Tyler Toffoli goal that gave San Jose their first lead of the game, and they again went horribly wrong, this time without Hill and Nicolas Hague.

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But in the third period, the game changed in favor of the Golden Knights, which is strange because of the penalty they were facing. A bumping call against Alexander Holtz created a short four-on-4, and Vegas won the ensuing faceoff, leading to a Brayden McNabb goal on the Sharks' power play – a short goal in name only, but a short one. The real backbreaker came 23 minutes later when the Sharks' poor play on the boards led to another Golden Knights breakaway and a trick goal by Jack Eichel. Pavel Dorofiyev added a few minutes later to give Vegas full control, and Brett Howden grabbed an empty netter late on for good measure.

Both teams have continued to move in different directions at the top – the Golden Knights continue to hold the NHL's best percentage, while the Sharks are second worst in that category.

Some Notes

• Smith's goal was the first goal by either Smith or Macklin Celebrini with the other receiving the first assist.
• The 23 seconds between shutouts is the second-shortest time to allow two shorthanded goals in Sharks franchise history.
• The Golden Knights outscored their opponents 53-25 in the third quarter this season.
• Hill has not lost to the Sharks since they traded him to Vegas in the 2022 offseason.

The Sharks will return to action on Saturday night (Dec. 28) to host the Calgary Flames, while the Golden Knights' next game is at home against Calgary, which will take place on Sunday (Dec. 29).