On a night of celebration for Patrick Marleau’s historic achievement, the Vegas Golden Knights claimed a 3-2 shootout victory over the San Jose Sharks on Monday, adding another win to their seven-game streak.
Alex Tuch scored the decisive goal in the shootout, while Golden Knights captain Mark Stone powered the team’s comeback with two power-play goals. Meanwhile, Robin Lehner stopped 29 shots and denied all three Sharks’ attempts in the shootout, extending his record to 8-0-1 since returning from a concussion.
The game came on the same night Marleau passed Gordie Howe for the most games played in NHL history, appearing in his 1,768th career game. Marleau was honored in front of a sellout crowd of 3,950, including his wife and four sons.
“It was special,” said Stone. “You don’t really understand the magnitude of it in the moment, but when I reflect tonight, I think it will hit me emotionally to be part of a huge night for (Marleau).”
Marleau was overwhelmed with gratitude for the outpouring of support he received. “I don’t know how many phone calls or texts I got. It might take me a week to reply to everyone. It’s been overwhelmingly humbling,” Marleau said.
Sharks Strike Early, But Stone Leads Vegas Comeback
San Jose took an early 2-0 lead, with goals from Nikolai Knyzhov and Noah Gregor. However, Stone responded quickly, deflecting a wrist shot from Shea Theodore to cut the Sharks’ lead in half. Just seven seconds into another power play, Stone tied the game by scooping the puck around Sharks goalie Martin Jones for his 17th goal of the season.
Despite looking flat early on, Stone’s goals provided the spark Vegas needed, especially coming off back-to-back games after defeating Anaheim on Sunday.
“You’ve got to find ways to win games in crunch time, and we’ve been able to do that in this stretch,” said Stone. “It’s what good teams do.”
Jones made 38 saves for the Sharks, including five key stops in overtime, while Lehner held strong during a fast-paced final 10 minutes of the third period and overtime.
William Karlsson nearly gave Vegas a late lead, but Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro cleared the puck off the goal line in the dying seconds to force overtime.
San Jose coach Bob Boughner acknowledged the emotional significance of the game for the Sharks. “We wanted to ensure we honored Patty the best way we could. That was by playing hard as a team,” he said.
Up Next
- The two teams will face off again in Las Vegas on Wednesday to complete their two-game series.