Blog: Golden Knights fall in Game 5, series heads back to Vegas

By Justin Emerson

Published Thursday, April 18, 2019 | 3:30 p.m.

Updated Thursday, April 18, 2019 | 9:33 p.m.

There will be at least one more game this series.

The Golden Knights came into Thursday's Game 5 with a chance to close out the series on the San Jose Sharks' home ice, but an early San Jose goal set the tone and Vegas fell 5-2 at SAP Center.

The Golden Knights lead the series 3-2, with Game 6 on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena.

San Jose goalie Martin Jones struggled in the last three games of the series, and didn't see the second period in two of them. Jones made his best save of the night at 12:20 of the third, stretching all the way across the net to deny Reilly Smith on a 2-on-1 with William Karlsson.

That was right after Jonathan Marchessault scored on the power play less than a minute earlier to make it 3-2. Jones' save kept the Sharks in the lead, and gave them a chance to net the dagger.

Marchessault hit the box for high-sticking at 14:30, and Tomas Hertl scored 15 seconds later to make it 4-2.

Vegas pulled Marc-Andre Fleury with 2:43 remaining for the extra attacker, and Joe Pavelski scored the empty-netter with 1:46 left to make it 5-2.

Hertl scored for the Sharks 1:16 into the game, then Logan Couture added a second goal at the 11-minute mark. Barclay Goodrow added a goal 12:22 into the second, and that was enough to support Jones.

The Golden Knights scored their first goal with 30 seconds left in the first to make it 2-1. Smith attempted a centering pass from behind the net, but it bounced off Erik Karlsson's stick, Jones' skate and into the goal.

Golden Knights led in shots on goal, 32-29.

Sharks add to lead in second

San Jose probably should have scored a few goals in the second period, but strong penalty-killing and goaltending held the Sharks to just one in the frame, and the Golden Knights trailed 3-1 after two periods.

The Sharks dominated possession through the first TV timeout of the second. They had four shots on goal in the first seven minutes, and spent the majority of the time in the Vegas zone. The Golden Knights' best look came on a Marc-Andre Fleury outlet pass to Tomas Nosek, who gave it to Tuch for the breakaway. Martin Jones denied him to hold San Jose's 2-1 advantage.

After that, the period slowed down. San Jose had a power play after a Brayden McNabb holding call, and fired two shots on net, but did not score. The first scrum of the game came with 7:55 left in the period, when Ryan Reaves and Erik Karlsson got tangled up and lost their helmets.

Then the Sharks pounced when the fourth lines were matched up. San Jose won a draw in its own zone, went all the way down the ice and scored on a Barclay Goodrow deflection from Justin braun in front of Fleury at 12:22. It was Goodrow's first-career postseason goal.

The Sharks' second power play was as good as one can be without scoring. They stayed in the Vegas end for nearly all of the two minutes Max Pacioretty was in the box, and had three shots on goal during the span and one as the penalty expired. Marc-Andre Fleury made a highlight-reel glove save in the sequence, and Brayden McNabb blocked a Joe Pavelski shot that was bound for the back of the net.

The Sharks took the lead in shots on goal, 20-18.

Sharks score early in first

The Golden Knights saw the series script flipped on them in the first period of Game 5, as the San Jose Sharks were the one to net an early goal, and Vegas trailed 2-1 at the end of one at SAP Center.

The Golden Knights have scored on the first shift of the game three times in a row, and in a twist, San Jose potted an early one. Tomas Hertl walked in on Marc-Andre Fleury 76 seconds into the game and whipped the puck by him to give the Sharks their first lead since the end of Game 1.

They expanded on it later, thanks to Timo Meier. He worked his way through traffic, danced around Deryk Engelland in front of the net and put his shot on net. Fleury turned it away, but Logan Couture was there to put home the rebound and make it 2-0 San Jose 11 minutes in.

It appeared like the series may have its first penalty-free period, but Evander Kane's high-sticking call with 1:43 left negated that. It gave him 41 penalty minutes for the series and set up the power play that led to Vegas' goal.

With 30 seconds left in the period, Reilly Smith set up behind the net and attempted to center the puck to William Karlsson. Instead it caromed of Erik Karlsson's stick, off the inside of Martin Jones' left skate and into the net.

Jones has been arguably San Jose's biggest issue through four games of the series, but he looked good in the opening stanza. He batted away all 11 of the Golden Knights' 12 shots, and the goal he did allow was a tough break on Smith's pass attempt that went in.

Vegas led in shots on goal 12-6.

Pre-game

The Golden Knights have some wiggle room in their first-round series with the San Jose Sharks. They can afford to lose tonight, and even Sunday, and still win the series.

That doesn't mean they want to. The Golden Knights stressed the importance of closing out the series tonight, and will get their first chance to advance at 7 p.m. in Game 5 at SAP Center.

"We need to take care of business," Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault said. "They're not dead. They're a great team, they can come back any time, and we won't let them."

The Sharks have the talent to win three in a row. It's not that they're down 3-1 in the series, it's how they are down 3-1. Their goaltending has been abysmal, and Martin Jones will be back in net tonight, sporting a 5.34 goals-against average and .838 save percentage. He has finished only two of the first four games, ceding the other two to Aaron Dell, who hasn't been much better.

San Jose has also had trouble keeping all its players on the ice. Marc-Edouard Vlasic missed Games 3 and 4 after leaving Game 2 with an injury, Joe Thornton was suspended for Game 4 and Erik Karlsson looks like he is still nursing the injury that cost him 29 games in the regular season.

A series comeback looks unlikely for the Sharks. A win tonight would give them a renewed sense of confidence, which is why Vegas does not want to see a Game 6.

"They're going to be as desperate as they've been all year," Vegas forward Mark Stone said. "We have to match that and take it to another level."

The Golden Knights have never lost a game in which they've had a chance to clinch the series, dealing the finishing blow to the Los Angeles Kings, Sharks and Winnipeg Jets last season on the opportunity they had. The players said a potential clinch game isn't any different from any other playoff game.

They've been in this situation plenty of times. And in all three of those instances last year, they closed the series on the road.

"We're in a good place right now. The only thing that is going to be a challenge for us is going to be to make sure that we understand this is a do-or-die game for them, and if we don't come out swinging, they're going to take over," Golden Knights forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare said. "It's their building and potentially their last game, right, so they're going to try as hard as they can."

Western Conference first round

Series: Golden Knights lead 3-1

TV: AT&T Sports Net (DirecTV 684, Cox 1313, CenturyLink 1760)

Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM and 98.9 FM

Betting line: Golden Knights plus-105, Sharks minus-115; over/under: 6 (minus-130, plus-120)

Golden Knights (3-1) (1-1 road), Pacific Division No. 3 seed

Coach: Gerard Gallant (second season)

Points leader: Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone (10)

Goals leader: Mark Stone (6)

Assists leader: Max Pacioretty, Paul Stastny (6)

Expected goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury (2.51 gaa, .920 save percentage)

Sharks (1-3) (1-1 home), Pacific Division No. 2 seed

Coach: Peter DeBoer (fourth season)

Points leader: Erik Karlsson (5)

Goals leaders: Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl (2)

Assists leader: Erik Karlsson (5)

Expected goalie: Martin Jones (5.34 gaa, .838 save percentage)

Golden Knights expected lineup

Forwards

Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, Max Pacioretty, Paul Stastny, Mark Stone, Tomas Nosek, Cody Eakin, Alex Tuch, William Carrier, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Ryan Reaves

Defensemen

Brayden McNabb, Nate Schmidt, Shea Theodore, Deryk Engelland, Jon Merrill, Colin Miller

Goalies

Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban