San Jose Sharks Ivar Stenberg (41) had an assist and four shot on goals against the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center in San Jose on Tue Sep 22, 2026 (San Jose Sharks media photo)

By: Fernando Abarca

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Sharks hockey is getting closer to the regular season, and the San Jose Sharks continued their preseason slate Tuesday night with a 2-1 shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center.

San Jose entered the matchup looking to rebound after a 6-2 preseason loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. Vegas, meanwhile, arrived in San Jose after opening its preseason with a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

For the first 40 minutes, the two teams played a tightly contested game, with neither side able to break through offensively.

San Jose showed improvement in several areas, particularly defensively. The Sharks did a solid job protecting the middle of the ice, limiting Vegas’ opportunities and disrupting plays through the neutral zone. Their defensive coverage also helped prevent the Golden Knights from generating sustained offensive pressure.

The game finally opened up in the third period.

The Sharks struck first at 4:18 of the final frame. Dmitry Orlov helped create the play from the blue line, and Ivar Stenberg also contributed to the sequence before Michael Misa redirected the puck past Vegas goaltender Carl Lindbom to give San Jose a 1-0 lead.

Vegas responded just 4:04 later.

Alexander Holtz tied the game at 8:22 of the third period with a wrist shot, assisted by Tanner Laczynski and Adam Ginning. The goal came shortly after San Jose had taken the lead and shifted the momentum back toward the Golden Knights.

Neither team was able to score again in regulation, sending the game to overtime. With no goal in the extra period, the matchup was ultimately decided in a shootout, where Vegas came away with the victory.

Despite the result, Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance and emphasized the importance of execution and continuing to build an understanding of the style of play he wants the team to establish heading into the regular season.

For San Jose, the preseason continues Thursday at SAP Center when the Sharks host the Anaheim Ducks Thu Sep 24. The matchup will give the team another opportunity to build chemistry, sharpen its defensive structure and continue evaluating players before the regular-season opener.

The Sharks will open their regular season Oct. 1 against the Florida Panthers.