The Vegas Golden Knights solidified their status as one of the NHL’s elite teams, clinching a playoff berth with a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.
Jonathan Marchessault scored twice, helping Vegas secure their eighth straight win and becoming the first team in the league to lock in a playoff spot this season. The Golden Knights now lead the NHL with 33 wins and 68 points. They also became just the fourth franchise in NHL history to make the playoffs in each of their first four seasons, following their inaugural run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018.
“It’s an accomplishment in this league,” said Vegas coach Peter DeBoer. “What this franchise has done so far is unheard of. I don’t know if you’ll ever see that again from an expansion team.”
The Golden Knights have dominated the Sharks, improving to 15-1-3 all-time against San Jose in regular-season meetings, including a 7-0-0 sweep this season. They are also 18-4-2 at home.
“We’ve been doing well against (San Jose),” Marchessault said. “We seem to be playing the right way. It’s good to have success against a divisional team like that.”
Mark Stone, Alex Tuch, and Mattias Janmark also scored for Vegas, while Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves to remain perfect at 5-0-0 against the Sharks this season. Fleury is now 7-0-1 in his last eight games.
“They’re scoring every night, and they’re looking dangerous doing it,” DeBoer said of his team’s offense. “Even on nights when the pucks don’t go in, we’re creating momentum, getting chances, and putting pressure on the other team.”
Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl scored for the struggling Sharks, who are now winless in their last seven games (0-6-1). Josef Korenar made 35 saves in the loss.
After San Jose took a 2-1 lead midway through the second period, Vegas responded with four unanswered goals. Stone tied the game at 2-2 on a power play with 7:08 left in the second period, scoring his team-leading sixth power-play goal of the season. Alex Tuch then put Vegas ahead with a goal in the second period’s final minute.
Marchessault added his second goal of the night with just over six minutes left in the game, extending Vegas’ lead to 4-2. Janmark sealed the win with an empty-net goal, his first as a Golden Knight since being acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline.
“I liked our resiliency, I liked our calmness tonight,” DeBoer said. “We stuck with it, and there wasn’t any panic.”
Notable Milestones
- Two nights after breaking Gordie Howe’s record for most NHL games played, Sharks forward Patrick Marleau reached another milestone, skating in his 900th consecutive game.
- Max Pacioretty became the 10th active U.S.-born player to reach 600 career points with his assist on Stone’s power-play goal.
Up Next
- Sharks: Host the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.
- Golden Knights: Travel to face the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday.