San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Burns’ OT strike ends losing streak
Sharks fans got a sneak peek at what’s coming in two weeks, and if it’s as entertaining as Saturday night the Vegas-San Jose series should be a good one.
Brent Burns’ powerplay goal 22 seconds into overtime enabled the hosts to beat the Golden Knights, 3-2, snap a seven-game losing streak and clinch home-ice for the first round of the playoffs.
The first-round rematch of last year’s second round — when Vegas ousted San Jose in six games — is almost assured. Mathematically the two teams have not yet locked into Nos. 2-3 seeds in the Pacific, but it’s highly likely.
“I’m sure we’ll see these guys again real soon,” Sharks forward Evander Kane said.
Burns one-timed his 14th goal of the season off a feed from Logan Couture after Kane was hauled down late in regulation to give the hosts their man-advantage. Kevin Labanc made a good play to draw Vegas penalty killers toward him and open space for Burns to get off his devastating shot.
“Huge win for us, and I’m happy for every guy on the ice,” Sharks forward Tomas Hertl added. “We showed we can play hard; no one was scared. Everyone stepped up. It was fun to watch.”
Just 38 seconds after defenseman MarcEdouard Vlasic gave the hosts their first lead of the game at 11:26 with his third goal of the season off a faceoff win, Vegas blue liner Shea Theodore did likewise for his 12th goal off a won draw at 12:04 for a 3-3 tie.
Kane scored his 29th goal at 7:22 of the third period to tie it, 2-2.
Hertl picked up a loose puck at center after a Vegas defender lost sight of the puck. Hertl drove to the far post, drawing Golden Knights goalie Malcolm Subban out of his net, then fed back across the crease where Kane scored into an empty net.
“We had a good third period; we fought hard,” Kane said. “We didn’t really know we had a penalty kill to start the third, but we did a great job responding and we continued to push and fight back.”
The Sharks tied the game 1-1 on their opening shift of the middle period when they came out with a strong forecheck.
Hertl scored his ongoing career-high 35th goal 58 seconds into the period when he capped a scramble in front of Subban. Timo Meier started the sequence with a hit that separated the puck from a Vegas defender.
But the visitors struck back at 5:30 for their second one-goal lead of the night.
Golden Knights center Cody Eakin scored his 21st goal with a backhand putback on a loose puck that Sharks goalie Martin Jones failed to cover.
Vegas defenseman Deryk Engelland lifted a soft drive toward the net on his backhand that changed directions just as Jones was prepared to glove and free the puck. It fell at his feet and Eakin was quicker than the netminder to jump on the loose puck.
“It was an important game for both teams,” Kane said. “We haven’t been playing our best hockey. Every time we play these guys it’s a hard-fought game. You definitely feel the intensity out there.”
For the fifth straight game the Sharks found themselves in an early hole at the outset.
Vegas forward William Karlsson scored his 24th goal of the season at 3:54 when he punched home a shot from the slot after Jonathan Marchessault fed him with a perfect feed from behind the goal line.
“It was like a playoff game,” Hertl said. “Everyone on the bench was fired up. We helped each other and finished hard. It was a big game for us, after a seven-game losing streak we know the playoffs are coming.”
Ross McKeon is a freelance writer. Twitter: @rossmckeon