Tomas Hertl scored twice against his former team, and rookie goaltender Carl Lindbom secured his first NHL victory as the Vegas Golden Knights held off the San Jose Sharks, 4–3, on Saturday night to snap a three-game skid.
Hertl opened and closed the scoring for Vegas, giving him three goals and three assists in four meetings with San Jose since joining the Golden Knights. Colton Sissons and Mitch Marner also found the back of the net as Vegas improved its dominance in the rivalry, now 29-2-5 all-time against the Sharks and winners of nine straight in the series.
The 22-year-old Lindbom, who entered the night 0-4-2, stopped 18 shots and stood tall during a frantic 6-on-4 San Jose power play in the closing seconds. As the horn sounded, he celebrated with a fist pump before being swarmed by Captain Mark Stone.
With Carter Hart eligible to join Vegas on Dec. 1 and Adin Hill still sidelined, Lindbom’s immediate future — NHL or AHL Henderson — remains uncertain despite the milestone victory.
For the Sharks, Will Smith scored twice, and William Eklund added another. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 20 shots. Smith put San Jose ahead early in the first period before Hertl tied it. Vegas surged with three goals in the first 12:38 of the second to build a 4–1 lead, but the Sharks clawed back with late second-period tallies from Smith and Eklund.
San Jose couldn’t complete the comeback, dropping to 8–4 in its last 12 games.
Up Next
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Sharks: Host the Utah Mammoth on Monday night.
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Golden Knights: Stay home to face the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.