Warriors cruise past Clippers 121-104 in Game 1; Curry passes Allen for most career threes

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Photo credit: @warriors

By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers kicked off their first-round series. Game 1 was at Oracle Arena on Saturday night.

The Warriors’ starters were Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins.

The Oracle was Roaracle due to the loud cheers and chants from Dub Nation. The game went underway and Cousins scored the first bucket of the NBA playoffs at the 10:45 mark of the first quarter after trailing 3-0 at first. Durant dropped back-to-back dimes with 8:45 left in the first. Cousins continued shooting his shots and then Green contributed his shots. Green was a perfect 5-5 in field goals. The Warriors led 36-27 at the end of the first.

The Warriors turned offense into art in the second quarter. Curry played beautiful basketball. Durant scored a bucket, and with that bucket, Durant (3,665) passed Dirk Nowitzki (3,663) for 15th place on the NBA all-time career playoffs points scored list. Check out the bucket below.

Andre Iguodala threw it down late in the second, and the Warriors took a 69-56 lead to the locker room at halftime.
The Warriors gave a shoutout to Kaiser Permamente for providing Dub Nation with customized Gold and Royal Blue playoff shirts.

The Warriors returned to action in the third quarter. Curry got the crowd pumping with his three-pointers, some of which were long distance threes. Aside from Curry, who passed Ray Allen for most career threes, the Warriors turned defense into offense as Iguodala forced a turnover and threw down a dunk that could’ve broke the rim.

Curry proceeded to shoot threes in the fourth quarter, and the Warriors blew out the Clippers 121-104 for a 1-0 series lead. The Clippers are down 0-1.

Curry led the Warriors with 38 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and one block. Durant had 23 points, four rebounds, three assists, three blocks and one steal. Draymond Green had 17 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, one block and one steal. Klay Thompson had 12 points, two assists, two blocks, one rebound and one steal. DeMarcus Cousins had nine points, nine rebounds, four assists and one steal. Andre Iguodala had eight points, seven rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals. Kevon Looney had six points, five rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block. Andrew Bogut had three points, one rebound, one assist and one block. Alfonzo McKinnie had three points and one block. Quinn Cook had two points, one rebounds and one steal.

The Warriors and Clippers face off in Game 2 on Monday night at 7:30 pm PT. The game will be broadcast on NSBA, TNT and FSPT.

Bumgarner’s strong performance helps lead Giants to 5-2 victory over Rockies

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Photo credit: @KleinschmidtJD

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — After going thru their entire bullpen on Friday night, the last thing Bruce Bochy wanted was a short start from Madison Bumgarner.

Well, Bumgarner did not disappoint his manager, as he went seven innings, allowing just two runs on six hits, walking no and striking out seven and the San Francisco Giants clinched their first series win of the 2019 season with a 5-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies before a crowd of 32,607 at Oracle Park.

The Rockies have lost eight in a row and 12 out of their last 13. The 3-12 start by the Rockies is the worst start thru 15 games.

The Giants got on the board courtesy of the hottest player on the team, as Kevin Pillar hit a sacrifice fly that scored Gerardo Parra, after he led off the third inning with a double off of Kyle Freeland.

Buster Posey then lengthened the lead up to 2-0, as he doubled to right field that scored Steven Duggar from third base.

The Posey double was the 250th of his career, moving him into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time San Francisco Giants list, trailing Barry Bonds, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey.

When Duggar crossed the plate to give the Giants a 2-0 lead, it was the first run batted in of the season for Posey.

Pillar then his fourth home run of the season, a solo blast with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning.

The Rockies began to chip away at the Giants lead in the top of the sixth inning, as Garrett Hampson doubled and went to third on a Parra throwing error that allowed Charlie Blackmon to score from first base. Blackmon reached on a fielders choice that erased Chris Iannetta, who singled and put a stop to a streak that saw him strike out in his previous five plate appearances.

Mark Reynolds cut the Giants lead down to one in the top of the seventh inning, as Reynolds hit his second home run of the season.

Kyle Freeland went five innings, allowing three runs on nine hits, walking just one and striking out five and saw his record fall to 1-3 on the young season.

Pablo Sandoval picked up his sixth double of the season, and his six doubles are the third-most in the National League. During the 2018 season, Sandoval had just 10 doubles.

Bumgarner gave up a leadoff double to Iannetta in the top of the eighth inning, and that would be all for Bumgarner, as Reyes Moronta came on to replace the left-hander. Moronta got the Giants out of the jam, as he struck out Raimel Tapia, Blackmon and Hampson to end the threat and the inning.

Moronta has struck out 13 out of the last 31 batters faced.

Sam Dyson pitched a perfect ninth inning, as he picked up his first save of the season. It was the first save for Dyson since June 26, 2018, also against the Rockies.

NOTES: Erik Kratz became the first player to catch at least 18 innings and get the game-winning RBI in the same game since Bob Boone did it for the California Angels against the Seattle Mariners on April 13, 1982, this according to Stats, LLC.

The last time that the Giants won a game that lasted 18 innings or more was on June 11, 1985, when the Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves 5-4 at Fulton County Stadium. Bob Brenly came up with the game-winning hit, while Duane Kuiper picked up a sacrifice bunt in the 11th inning and Mike Krukow started the game and went 5.0 innings, allowing four runs and five hits.

As for the last time that the Giants walked off a game that lasted 18 innings or more came on July 2, 1933, when the New York Giants shutout the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 on a hit by Hughie Critz. Giants Hall of Fame Pitcher Carl Hubbell threw a complete game shutout, as he went all 18.0 innings.

UP NEXT: Derek Holland goes to the mound, as the Giants look for the four-game sweep and end the home stand with a 6-4 mark, while the Rockies will send German Marquez to the mound.

San Jose State football concludes pre-Easter festivities with spring game

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Photo credit: @SJSUSpartanFB

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Spartan Nation had a lot to look forward to Saturday as the San Jose State football team hosted a long list of pre-Easter festivities at CEFCU Stadium. The list began with a helmet and jersey sale at 11:00 am, a town hall meeting and youth football camp at 12:00 pm, a family fun zone at 12:30 pm, an Easter egg hunt at 1:15 pm, a brew fest at 1:30 pm, and alas, a spring game!

SJSU head coach Brent Brennan said: “It was just a really awesome day.”

The spring game was broken down into 10 segments with two breaks.

The first segment featured the first offense versus the second defense. Running back Tyler Nevens displayed his durability in his position and was a part of the Spartans’ offensive attack. Nevens rushed for a good amount of yards.

The second segment featured the second offense versus the first defense. A notable moment was when a deep pass was thrown through the air. The lucky fans in attendance who texted “C” for a deep pass won $100 gift cards to use at the SJSU bookstore.

The third segment featured the first offense versus the second defense. The Spartans offense was fired up and scored some touchdowns and field goals.

Brennan said: “The team put it in a lot of hard work and effort. Let’s hope they’ll keep this streak up.”

After the first break, there was the fourth segment, which displayed the second offense versus the first defense.

SJSU quarterback Josh Love said: “I feel really confident after all the work I’ve put in in the offseason as it helped me get comfortable with myself.”

The fifth segment was a little different as the third offense took on the third defense. Still, it was good all-around for both teams on the field.

Brennan said: “I thought the defense was lights out. It seemed like it was a little bit hotter today, but I thought they had some big hits and put some pressure on the quarterback. They all made plays.”

The sixth segment featured the first offense versus the second defense. The offense continued to put in the work with running and rushing plays. The defense made quite a few defensive stops, which was a positive thing.

SJSU defensive coordinator Derrick Odum said: “We’re working on a lot of things in practices. We’re going to start with our install a lot further down the line than we’ve ever had in the past, so that was really good, and if we could just polish up on a few things, we’ll be fine. I was excited to see the guys buying in and doing stuff.”

After the second break, there was the seventh segment, which displayed the second offense versus the first offense.

The eighth segment featured the first offense versus the second offense. Both offenses put on an offensive show and looked fairly promising to the offensive coaches on the coaching staff.

The ninth segment featured the second offense versus the first defense. Again, both teams appeared to be locked in like they were in previous segments.

SJSU safety prospect Tre Webb said: “I just have to work on knowing everything. I got to read the playbook inside and out. I have to be better — not only for myself, but also for the people around me.”

Finally, the 10th segment showcased the third offense versus the third defense. There was a Spartans touchdown late the game, which was like the cherry on top. Chance LaChappelle made a pass to Lenard, Jr. to close out the game. The defense edged the offense 26-24.

When asked how he’d characterize the Spartans’ defense so far, SJSU safety Jonathan Lenard, Jr. responded: “It’s everything. We’re swarming. We have these things called ‘blue line” and “100-100″ where you give 100 perfect effort, 100 effort of the time.”

Lenard added: “It’s also about the physicality. We like to play physical football.”

The Spartans open the 2019 regular season against the Northern Colorado Bears at CEFCU Stadium on Thursday, August 29. Brennan hopes this will be the season where his team kicks the door down and find ways to finish their games as a team.

Earthquakes fall to Dynamo 2-1

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Earthquakes had hoped to make it two wins in a row at the BBVA Compass Stadium against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday. The Quakes last shutout the Portland Timbers 3-0 at Avaya Stadium last Saturday.

The Quakes’ starting lineup featured Daniel Vega, Marcos Lopez, Florian Jungwirth, Harold Cummings, Tommy Thompson, Jackson Yueill, Anibal Godoy, Shea Salinas, Cristian Espinoza, Magnus Eriksson and Danny Hoesen.

The game was underway in Houston and the Quakes applied pressure on the Dynamo in the early stages of the game. Daniel Vega rejected Alberth Elis’ shot from inside the box at the sixth minute. Also, there was some hostility as Maynor Figeroa was issued a yellow card at the 31st minute.

The real action didn’t occur until the 41st minute when Cristian Espinoza nearly kicked in a goal. However, Espinoza failed to do so and the game remained in a scoreless deadlock at the end of the first half.

There was a weather delay in Houston, and as the Quakes waited for the storm to pass, the team tweeted a shoutout to the handful of Black and Blue fans who made it to the game. The game resumed at 2:22 pm PT.

The Quakes were back at it at the 46th minute. The Quakes’ happiness didn’t last long as Alberth Elis scored a goal to make it 1-0 Houston at the 52nd minute.

The game was tied 1-1 when the Jackson Yueill kicked a goal into net from outside of the box at the 55th minute. But the Dynamo rained on the Quakes’ parade when Tomas Martinez made it 2-1 Houston at the 60th minute.

Shortly after, the Quakes broadcast switched from Univision to Univision Deportes Network. The Quakes then made their first substitution of the game. Jackson Yueill exited the game and Chris Wondolowski entered the game.

Things got hectic late in the game. Marcos Lopez was issued a red card at the 87th minute. That led to the Quakes’ second substitution of the game. Florian Jungwirth exited the game and Nick Lima entered the game. But it was too little, too late as Lima is a defensive starter and was supposed to be in the starting lineup. The Quakes lost to the Dynamo 2-1.

The Quakes return home to host Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, April 20 at 7:00 pm PT.

All smiles at Stanford football’s spring game

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Photo credit: @StanfordFball

By: Ana Kieu

The Stanford Cardinal football team concluded its spring session Saturday with a spring game at Cagan Stadium in Stanford, Calif. The Cardinal will not be in action until the start of training camp. The Cardinal last edged the Pittsburgh Panthers 14-13 in the Sun Bowl on New Year’s Eve 2018.

Cardinal and White fans flocked over to Cagan Stadium to snag sweet posters of KJ Costello, Cameron Scarlett, Malik Antoine, Colby Parkinson, Jordan Fox, Casey Toohill, Paulson Adebo and Walker Little; and, of course, stuck around for the game as well as postgame autographs.

It was a beautiful day at Cagan Stadium. Cardinal head coach David Shaw and his players were all set for the game. The Cardinal turned heads when Connor Wedington flawlessly caught a pass in the early minutes of the game. Paulson Adebo then caught a perfect pass near the 10-yard line.

Meanwhile, some members of the Cardinal women’s basketball team were in attendance to watch their fellow Cardinal student-athletes battle it out on the field.

Dorian Maddox made a fast burst for a big gain, which was very fun to watch. Maddox was able to get past several defenders on the field. Also, Simi Fehoko found himself a little bit of space, just like Maddox.

The game ended in one of the greatest ways possible — a pass for a touchdown!

The Cardinal host the Northwestern Wildcats at Stanford Stadium on Saturday, August 31.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcast with Matt Harrington: CBJs turn out the Lights on Tampa Bay, now up 2-0; Isles get key third period goals for win; plus more

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photo from nbc4i.com: The Columbus Blue Jackets’ Matt Duchene (95) celebrates his goal with teammate right winger Cam Atkinson (13) in the second period of game two on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning

On the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff with Matt Harrington:

#1 The Columbus Blue Jackets are explosive. They have taken the first two games of the first round from the best regular season team the Tampa Bay Lightning. Can the CBJ’s repeat the same performance on the Bolt’s ice in game three?

#2 For the Jackets’ Matt Duchene had the hot hand with a goal and three assists and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 23 shots in the 5-1 win in Columbus.

#3 The New York Islanders’ Jordan Eberle and Josh Bailey scored a goal each in the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins to take a 2-0 lead. The Isles goalie Robin Lehner stopped an amazing 32 shots.

#4 The St. Louis Blues have already jumped to a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference first round with another win over the Winnipeg Jets. The Blues’ Pat Maroon and Ryan O’Reilly scored big and goaltender Jordan Binnington stopped 26 shots in the 4-3 win. Jets have their backs to the wall.

#5 The San Jose Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer called a interference call a travesty and the reason for the loss of the game to the Vegas Golden Knights 5-3. Was it more the interference call or the ability of the Knights to be able to come back tie and add two more insurance goals to win and tie the series?

Join Matt for the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs-San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro: With series tied, who has best advantage: Knights on home ice? or Sharks fired up to win game three?

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westport-news.com photo: Vegas Golden Knights’ Colin Miller, left, celebrates his goal with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) during the first period against the San Jose Sharks in Game 2 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series at SAP Center on Friday night. The series moves to the T-Mobile Center in Vegas on Sunday night for game 3.

On the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs-San Jose Sharks podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 After coming back from being down 3-0, the San Jose Sharks ended up losing by two 5-3 and the Vegas Golden Knights tied in game two Friday night. The series tied up 1-1. How did San Jose let this one slip away?

#2 It’s a game that they’ll be talking about for awhile as Vegas exhibited their talents scoring three goals in 5:13 to start things off in the first period.

#3 Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said the team will regroup. There’s not much time when you have a series that’s tied at 1-1.

#4 Is there a concern after losing a game like that, when you caught up to your opponent and then let the lead slip away and now you’re playing at the T-Mobile Center for game three?

#5 Len sets up game three as the puck drops at 7 pm local in Vegas.

Len does the San Jose Sharks podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants Friday game wrap: Kratz wins it in the 18th on a Fielder’s Choice

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photo from sfgate.com: San Francisco Giants’ Brandon Belt, left, slides to score behind Colorado Rockies’ Chris Iannetta in the 18th inning of a baseball game Friday night, in San Francisco.

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO-Erik Kratz came up with the biggest hit of the night at 12:50 A.M. for the San Francisco Giants.

Kratz hit into a fielders choice that scored Brandon Belt from third base, as the Giants came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Colorado Rockies 3-2 before a crowd of 33,616 at Oracle Park.

Belt led off the inning with a double off of DJ Johnson, then intentionally walked Brandon Crawford, then Kevin Pillar flew out for the first out of the inning and Belt went to third.

Johnson then walked former Rockies outfielder Gerardo Parra to load the bases to get to Kratz, who after falling behind 0-2 to Johnson, hit a ball to Ian Desmond, who was the fifth infielder for the Rockies.

Desmond made a diving stab at the ball, got up and threw the ball to Chris Ianetta at home plate; however, Ianetta was unable to keep his foot on home plate and Belt was called safe by home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor; however, Rockies manager Bud Black challenged the call at the plate and the call was eventually upheld and the Giants escaped with a hard-fought win.

Kratz, who caught the whole game jokingly said that he got his second wind in the 17th inning. This was the first career walk-off for Kratz, who is playing for his ninth team in his 10-year career.

It was the second time in Kratzs career that he caught an 18-inning game, the first time came as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The first time came on July 17, 2016, when the Pirates defeated the Washington Nationals 2-1 in 18 innings at Nationals Park.

Mark Melancon was unable to close out the 1-0 victory, as he gave up a two-out game-tying home run to current Rockies infielder Daniel Murphy; however, Starling Marte hit a home run in the top of the 18th inning to give the Pirates the lead and eventually the win, as Jon Niese won the game for the Pirates.

Travis Bergen pitched the final two innings for the Giants to get his second win of the home stand, and his career.

If Kratz was unable to come through, Bergen was on deck and his last at-bat was a check swing groundout in high school in 2012, according to Bergen.

The Giants bullpen of Reyes Moronta, Sam Dyson, Tony Watson, Will Smith, Mark Melancon, Trevor Gott, Nick Vincent and Bergen combined to go 12 innings, allowing seven hits, walking just two and striking out 19.

The Rockies got on the board in the top of the fourth inning when Garrett Hampson tripled into the right-center field quadrant known as Triples Alley and then scored the Rockies first run of the game when Pomeranz balked in Hampson.

Story got a second chance at the plate, as it looked like Pomeranz was going to escape the inning unscathed, when Belt made a terrific over-the-shoulder catch that would have ended the inning; however, Pomeranz was called for a balk that scored Hampson with the Rockies first run of the series.

Following the balk that scored Hampson, Story then singled and then scored on a Desmond double.

Chad Bettis went five innings, allowing two runs on six hits, walking two and striking out four, as he did not fare in the decision.

Evan Longoria got the Giants on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Steven Duggar led off the inning with a walk, went to third on a Joe Panik single and then scored on an Evan Longoria double play.

Pomeranz went five innings, allowing two runs on just four hits, walking just one and striking out five, as he did not fare in the decision.

The Rockies blew an opportunity to tack on another run in the top of the sixth inning, as Nolan Arenado reached on a throwing error by Longoria, stole second then went to third on the second error of the inning, when Kratzs throw went into centerfield. Reyes Moronta, who came on to replace Pomeranz when the inning began, then struck out Story and then Desmond flew out to Duggar to end the inning.

The Giants tied up the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, as pinch hitter Pablo Sandoval doubled down the left field line, went to third on a Duggar infield hit and then scored the tying run, when Panik hit a sacrifice fly.

NOTES: Pablo Sandoval picked up his fifth pinch-hit of the season in 12 at bats, and his five pinch-hits lead the major leagues.

The 24 strikeouts by the Giants are the most in the San Francisco era, breaking the record of 22 that was set on May 31, 1964, when the Giants defeated the New York Mets 8-6 in 23 innings in the second game of a doubleheader at Shea Stadium.

That doubleheader is the longest doubleheader in major league history, as the two games went a combined nine hours and 52 minutes. The second game went seven hours and 23 minutes, after the first game went a quick two hours and 29 minutes.

This game matched the longest in Oracle Park history, tying the May 29, 2001 1-0 loss to the eventual World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks, when Erubiel Durazo hit a double that scored Steve Finley. The losing pitcher in that game was none other than Ryan Vogelsong.

UP NEXT: Madison Bumgarner will take the mound for the Giants on Saturday afternoon, as he looks for that elusive first win and the Rockies will send Kyle Freeland to the mound.

Fiers Stays Cold, Davis Stays Hot, A’s Rally Past Rangers 8-6

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Matt Harrington

Mike Fiers isn’t having a great start to his 2019 season, but that’s fine because Khris Davis certainly is. Fiers went only five innings in Arlington Friday night, surrendering 6 runs to the Texas Rangers but the A’s rallied back to win 8-6 capped by Davis’ MLB-leading 10th homer of the year. Oakland scored seven runs in the sixth inning or later after trailing 6-1 to that point.

Fiers put the A’s in a hole after allowing a solo homer to Asdrubal Cabrera and a three-run shot to Elvis Andrus after a coughing up two runs in the first inning on a run-scoring double from Logan Forsythe and a ground out that plated a run in the first. Thanks to a strong bullpen effort, Fiers escaped with a no decision though, a blessing considering his 7.06 ERA to start the year. 

Fiers exited the game after five innings, but the A’s magic really began in the top of the sixth. Matt Chapman hit a bases loaded single to pull the A’s to 6-3, then Davis’ fielder’s choice added another. Stephen Piscotty doubled home a run to make it 6-5.

Ramon Laureano homered in the next inning to tie it after Yusmeiro Petit pitched a clean sixth inning. Davis homered in the eight to make it 7-6 A’s and make Lou Trivino the winner after he pitched a perfect seventh and retired a batter in the bottom of the eighth. Josh Phegley had tacked on an insurance run in the top of that frame and Ryan Butcher got the second out of the inning coming in for Trivino. Blake Treinen nailed down his fifth save of the year after picking up the final four outs including three punchouts. 

Game two will be played on Saturday at 5:05 pm PT.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2019: Golden Knights Beat Sharks 5-3; Tie Series 1-1

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Photo credit: @GoldenKnights

By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE — The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-3 Friday, tying their first round NHL Playoff series 1-1. Vegas goals came from Cody Eakin, Colin Miller, Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone and William Karlsson. Sharks goals came from Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl and Joe Thornton. Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 34 saves in the win. Martin Jones made four saves on seven shots for San Jose, then Aaron Dell came in to replace him and made 14 saves on 16 shots.

The Sharks had eight power plays in the game while the Golden Knights had just three. The Sharks scored one power play goal and Vegas scored one power play goal and two short-handed ones.

After the game, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski talked about how the Sharks’ power play failed them: “We would get turned back and try to make the play up top and they would take that away and it would be out of the zone. It can be a little cleaner, a little quicker, a little bit more direct and we’ll go from there.”

The curse of the first five minutes reared its head again for the Sharks. Martin Jones had just saved a Max Pacioretty shot, which wound up behind the net. Following it as it came back around, Jones found himself screened by his own defensemen when Cody Eakin took a shot from the slot. An assist went to Pacioretty.

That was not the end of it. Before five minutes had elapsed, Vegas scored again. 2:10 into overlapping Sharks power plays, Colin Miller emerged from the penalty box to score short handed at 4:37.

Vegas added another at 6:11. Paul Stastny deflected a pass in the neutral zone, and Pacioretty picked it up. He carried the puck in just off the wall and took his shot before passing the face-off dot. The shot went by Jones on the far side and in. Stastny got the assist.

After that goal, Peter DeBoer replaced Martin Jones with Aaron Dell in net.

After the game, DeBoer said: “We were down three-nothing ten minutes in. I didn’t put it on Jonesy. We needed a shot in the arm to kind of change our momentum.”

The Sharks took some time to stem the bleeding. Once they had done that, they engaged their offense.

Logan Couture got the Sharks on the board at 16:59. The Sharks had just finished killing off a two-man advantage for Vegas, and were playing 4-on-4. Erik Karlsson made a pass across the offensive zone to Pavelski, who quickly passed it back across to Couture in front of the net. Couture put it carefully over Fleury and into the net. Assists went to Pavelski and Karlsson.

After the goal, the Sharks had a brief power play and scored again at 17:38. Couture passed the puck from the point along the blue line to Erik Karlsson, who had a long line of traffic between himself and the net. That traffic made an effective screen for Karlsson’s shot, and a deflection by Tomas Hertl made it all the more elusive. It was Hertl’s second of the playoffs. Assists went to Karlsson and Couture.

Joe Thornton completed the comeback at 19:08 of the period. The Sharks had just spent quite a while hemmed in their own zone when Logan Couture flipped the puck out of the zone. Evander Kane took off in hot pursuit though Pacioretty had several steps on him. Kane caught up and pushed Pacioretty off the puck, took it around behind the net and sent it back up to Brenden Dillon on the blue line. Dillon sent it back down to Thornton for a deflection. Dillon and Kane got the assists.

The second period started with another goal against the Sharks in the first five minutes, but only after the Sharks had a goal called back 51 seconds in. The goal did not count as it occurred just after Logan Couture was penalized for goaltender interference. The call was questionable as the contact came well outside the blue paint and appeared to be initiated by the goaltender. Nevertheless, the goal did not count.

On the ensuing power play, Vegas scored at 1:31. Mark Stone deflected a blue line shot from Shea Theodore. Dell stopped the deflection but the puck made its way back out to Stone, who was able to poke it through traffic and in. It was Stone’s third of the playoffs. Assists went to Stastny and Alex Tuch.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic finished his final shift of the game at 1:06, after the face-off for that Vegas power play, so the Sharks finished the game with five defensemen. Vlasic was injured blocking a shot.

Vegas scored a second short-handed goal at 7:35 of the third period. William Karlsson broke away as Reilly Smith was collecting the puck in the defensive zone. The pass got to him on the center line when he was already up to speed. He faked a shot as he approached the net and then put it away with a back-hand over a prone goaltender. Assists went to Smith and Tuch.

That goal came on Vegas’s first shot of the period. They did not have another shot until 13:53 of the period. In total, they only had four shots in the period but that was enough for them.

The Sharks pulled their goaltender with over two minutes to go for an offensive zone draw. The Sharks had a total of 15 shots in the period but could not beat Fleury again.

Through the first two periods, the Sharks won over 60% of the face-offs, but in the third won just 33%. The Golden Knights put Colin Miller in for Nick Holden on their blue line Friday. The Sharks made no roster changes, but may have to for Sunday, if Vlasic is not available.

Game 3 will be in Las Vegas on Sunday at 7:00 PM PT.