Tag: Vegas Golden Knights

Mammoth Master Golden Knights 3-2 To Even Western Conference First-Round Series 1-1

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Utah Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (99) and center Logan Center (92) celebrate after Cooley’s goal against the Vegas Golden Knights in third period in game two of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Wed Apr 22, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

Logan Cooley became the youngest American-born player to score goals in each of his first two playoff appearances in Utah win over Vegas 3-2.

The Utah Mammoth squared off against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday for the second game of the Western Conference First-Round Series hoping to tie up the series following Sunday night’s Game 1 loss.

Vegas received a golden opportunity eleven minutes into the first period when Utah forward Logan Cooley was whistled for interference against Mitch Marner. On the ensuing power play, Mark Stone scored his 2nd goal of the playoffs on a shot which deflected off the skate of Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead.

Jack Eichel and Marner assisted on the play. With 3:01 remaining in the frame, Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson reciprocated by kicking the puck into his own net, with the tying goal being credited to MacKenzie Weegar who was the last Mammoth to touch the puck.

At 14:56 of the second period, Dylan Guenther one-timed a slap shot from the top of the faceoff circle for his first goal of the post-season, assisted by Kailer Yamamoto who had gloved down a clearing attempt by Vegas and sent a cross-ice pass to the waiting stick of Guenther to give Utah its first lead of the night. That lead was short-lived, as Ivan Barbashev split two Mammoth defenders 62 seconds later and put the puck past Karel Vejmelka for his second goal of the playoffs, assisted by Eichel.

Exactly 14 minutes into the third period, Logan Cooley banged in a rebound off a shot by Guenther for his second goal of the playoffs to give Utah a 3-2 lead with six minutes remaining, with Yamamoto picking up the second assist. With the goal, Cooley made NHL history as the youngest American-born player to score goals in each of his first two career playoff games, edging out his captain Clayton Keller who had previously held that record at the age of 22 while with the Arizona Coyotes.

Earlier in the playoffs, 19-year-old Philadelphia Flyers forward Porter Martone, born in Peterborough, ON, became the youngest player overall to achieve the feat while also becoming the third rookie in NHL history to score game-winning goals in consecutive games to start a postseason, joining Brett Hull (1988) and Cooney Weiland (1929). Vejmelka shut the door on the Golden Knights the rest of the way as the Mammoth split the two games in Vegas and return to Delta Center on Friday where they currently enjoy home ice advantage in the series.

Yamamoto, who assisted on the goals by Guenther and Cooley, said of those teammates in the locker room after the game, “Those two are unbelievable. Everything they do, very easy to play with, they just use their speed. They’re so quick, and heavy on pucks. They may not be the biggest guys, but very heavy on their sticks and win a lot of battles.”

Cooley said of Yamamoto, “He’s such a smart player. He reads off of me and Gunner really good. It seems like he’s always in the right position, really poised with the puck. Positive guy too. Keeps us loose and I feel, like Gunner, we just have a lot of speed, we read off each other really well, and it’s clicking right now.” On Utah’s performance in the game, Cooley added, “There’s a lot of emotions in these playoff games. A lot of ups and downs. I think you have to just find a way to stay level-headed. Different things happen. Good calls, bad calls, different momentum swings. We did a good job of staying level-headed, and that’s what we need to do moving forward.” Guenther, who was seated next to Cooley for the interview, said, “I think it’s contagious too. When everyone’s lifting each other up, it’s a good feeling. I think it feels like we ‘re always in it no matter what.” Cooley continued, “It’s nice to get the win, and to have a big goal in a big moment, and it’s nice that we could get the series tied up heading back home. … It’s so exciting playing in these games. You’re playing for the Cup. It’s what you dream of since you’re a little kid, and you just want to leave everything out there. The games are so intense, physical, fast, and I think that kind of fits my game. Just trying to add those attributes into these games and it’s clicking right now. Just gotta keep moving.”

“That was a hard game,” said Head Coach André Tourigny to begin his post-game remarks. “Not a lot of space out there. I like the way our guys responded. … You need to have the right balance, need to have poise, you need to be patient, you need to be aggressive, and you need to be intense. … You need to be 10 out of 10 in your drive, but at the same time you need to be calm. You need to be urgent, but you need to be patient. You need to be disciplined.” Asked about how impressive Cooley’s play has been, Bear responded, “I don’t know if it’s impressive when you see him every day. We know how competitive, how good he is, for us it’s just stay in the moment I think Cools has been really good for us since he’s with us – 3 years now – and right now his head is at the right place, he’s in the moment, and I think everybody in our room right now is focused and in the right place and we need to keep it there.”

On Friday night the State of Utah will host its first-ever NHL playoff match as the Mammoth and Golden Knights square off for Game 3 of the best-of-seven series.

Stanley Cup Playoffs/Utah Mammoth:Mammoth Blow Third Period Lead, Falling 4-2 To Golden Knights In Game 1 Of Western Conference First-Round Series

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Vegas Golden Knights center Colton Sissons (10) scores against the Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) during game 1 of first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas (AP News photo)

Stanley Cup Playoffs/Utah Mammoth:

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah was positioned to steal home ice advantage in Game 1 of the opening playoff series, but Vegas launched third period comeback for the win 4-2.

The Utah Mammoth played Game 83 for the first time in franchise history on Sunday night, squaring off against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas for Game 1 of the Western Conference First-Round Series. The last time Mammoth predecessors, the Arizona Coyotes, played in the postseason was August 19, 2020 during the strange COVID-shortened season, losing 7-1 in Game 5 of the first round to the Colorado Avalanche.

The lone Coyotes goal-scorer in that game was current Mammoth captain Clayton Keller, assisted by Jason Demers and Derek Stepan. The only other remaining Coyotes player in that game’s box score who also participated in Utah’s Sunday night post-season debut was forward Lawson Crouse. Barrett Hayton, who has been out of the lineup since March 24 with an upper-body injury, also played that final 2020 playoff game for Arizona.

The first period seemed destined to be a scoreless affair, but with 11 ticks left on the clock, Logan Cooley found the back of the net to put Utah up 1-0 on his first career playoff goal. Cooley had initially taken the puck into the offensive zone, and after some keep-away with Vegas defenders passed the puck to Crouse, who sent it to inaugural season Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt, who zipped it back to Cooley who one-timed a slap shot into the net.

At 3:44 of the second period, Colton Sissons knocked in a loose puck at the crease to tie the game, assisted by Cole Smith and Brayden McNabb. The Mammoth regained the lead 83 seconds later on a fluke goal where Kevin Stenlund shot the puck from the dasher boards near the top of the faceoff circle, the puck being slapped away by Vegas netminder Carter Hart but off the body of defenseman Kaedan Korczak and into the net, with Sean Durzi and Ian Cole picking up the assists.

Utah took their 2-1 lead into the third period, but could not hold on. At 3:45 of the frame, Alexander Kerfoot went to the penalty box for hooking against Ivan Barbashev. With 12 seconds remaining in the penalty kill, Mark Stone knocked in a rebound from Karel Vejmelka to even the score at 2-2, assisted by Tomas Hertl and Mitch Marner.

Less than two minutes later, Mammoth defenseman MacKenzie Weegar turned over the puck in Utah’s defensive zone, and Noah Hanifin sent it across to Nic Dowd who deflected it perfectly into the net to give the Golden Knights their first lead of the game 3-2. At 18:21, with Vejmelka pulled for an extra attacker, Barbashev put the game away with an empty net goal to give Vegas the victory and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Interviewed in the locker room after the game, Cooley said, “Right from the start I knew it was going to be physical. A super fast game. Not a lot of room out there. I think early on we did a good job of playing our game, playing our style. We let off a little bit towards the third and it cost us, but it’s a long series and we just gotta regroup and clean up a few things.” Asked about his goal and getting into the pace of his first playoff game, Cooley responded, “It’s always nice to get on the board early, but I think after the first shift you get into it, maybe get a few bumps, and now it’s just another game.” On his own physicality, he commented, “It’s the playoffs, you’re playing for the Cup, you’re doing whatever you can to help your team win – whether that is physical, or scoring, playing good defensively – whatever the team needs, and I think that’s our mindset in this locker room too. It’s all about the team focus and trying to win games.” Wrapping up the interview, Cooley said, “A lot of us, it’s our first playoff game – to get that nerve out, get settled in … obviously we’d like to get the win, but just to get your feet wet a little bit and know how it is and what we need to do to beat them in Game 2.”

Lawson Crouse, one of two Mammoth players on the ice to have participated in the final Arizona Coyotes playoff game in 2020, said, “They played a heck of a game. It was a physical affair. There wasn’t much open ice out there, that’s kind of what we expected, but you know they played a great game. We feel we got a little bit better, but you know we get a day now to learn and make some adjustments. … It’s a different style of hockey in the playoffs, we knew that. I feel like we can be better. We’re competitive guys, we want to do whatever we can to help this team win, just like everyone in our locker room. We’re going to try to step up.” Of teammate Logan Cooley, Crouse said, “Cools is one of the biggest competitors I know. He’s done that all season long, ever since I’ve known him and played with him. He’s a battler and definitely a guy that you want to follow.” Brogan Houston of the Deseret News asked Crouse, “This is the first playoff game for yourself and a lot of the guys with fans in the stands, how does it compare to the COVID bubble?” He responded, “Obviously an incredible atmosphere out there. Their fans do a great job cheering, and to be honest I like that energy. I think we’re able to harness it and use it to our advantage as well. Obviously they’re very into the game. They’re loud. It’s a fun environment to play in.”

Former Golden Knight Nate Schmidt told the media, “This is a long series. That’s what we planned on at the beginning. There’s a lot of lessons to be had tonight. Our effort was there. There were some momentum swings. That’s the playoffs. They score a power play goal to get it even there early in the third and I think it tilted the ice a little bit for ’em, and I liked our response to that in the last little part of the game. There are things to build on for Game 2. I think some of our guys tonight got a taste for what it’s like, and all the emotional parts of it, the [excitement] that is playoff hockey. I’m excited for it to be a long series and for Game 2.” Asked about Cooley, Schmidt added, “I think he is a player that’s ready to take that step on the center stage here in the playoffs and be a guy that commands a lot of space out there and he really makes a lot of plays for guys and creates space for people. I love his game, I love that he’s nasty around the puck. He’s not a someone that’s going to shy away from it, and that’s what I love about him. I think as we go on here, he’s gonna show more and more, and there’s some young legs that are willing to do that dirty work which is something that is really important at this time of year, guys are willing to stand over the puck and be willing to take the abuse and I think he will.”

Head Coach André Tourigny opened his post-game comments, saying, “That was a great game, I think we know Vegas is a really good team. It was a hard fought game – was physical, was intense. Every inch was contested, so I’m proud of our prep – like the way we came out and I think the guys were pretty composed, they were in control – like I said it was a hard fought game. We know when we exploit our speed, that was a good factor for us, we need to keep focusing on that. … I really like the way the guys stayed in control. You just want to get better. From now on it’s a race of improvement. I think we have stuff we can be better, and we’ll make some adjustments and stuff, but I’m really proud of the way we performed.” Of Cooley’s performance, Bear was effusive with praise, “He was on a mission. He was really good. I think him and his line played a solid game. You guys know Cools – how competitive he is – and I think he just put it on display.” Of the team overall, Tourigny added, “I’m proud of the way where our guys were mentally. I think at this point as a coach what you need to do is make sure your team is in the right mindset, the right approach, they’re in control, and they control their performance, and I’m proud of the way they played in that sense. … I think as a first game, would have loved to win the game, no doubt about it, but I think we pushed back after they took the lead, we stayed in control, the guys were calm on the bench, were even-keeled, we didn’t act like we were a young team or a team with a lack of experience – the reverse I felt we were in control.”

The Mammoth look to even the best-of-seven series on Tuesday night, 7:30pm MDT.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast Mary Lisa: Puck drops this weekend on the post season; A review of each matchup

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Ottawa Senators Warren Foegele (37) takes a victory lap in front of the Sens bench after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Wed Apr 15, 2026. The Senators visit the Carolina Hurricane for game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Sat Apr 18, 2026 in Carolina (Canadian Press via AP photo)

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast Mary Lisa:

Mary were going to run down each match up for Saturday and Sunday’s NHL Stanley Cup Playoff game and go ahead and analyze each one all games are game 1.

Saturday’s games

#1 Ottawa Senators at Carolina Hurricane

#2 Minnesota Wild at Dallas Stars

#3 Philadelphia Flyers @ Pittsburgh Penguins

Sunday’s games

#1 Montreal Canadiens @ Tampa Bay Lightning

#2 Boston Bruins @ Buffalo Sabres

#3 Utah Mammoth @ Vegas Golden Knights

Mary Lisa analyzes the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Utah Mammoth game wrap: Utah Wraps Regular Season On Blue Note, Losing 5-3 To St Louis

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Utah Mammoth John Marino takes in the warm up before their game against the St Louis Blues Thu Apr 3, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City (Utah Mammoth X photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–The Utah Mammoth (43-32-6) suited up early Thursday afternoon for their nationally televised regular season finale against the St. Louis Blues (36-33-12). Regardless of the outcome, head coach André Tourigny entered the contest riding a streak of five consecutive seasons of continuous improvement beginning with a 25-50-7 record in his Arizona Coyotes debut in 2021-22. The Mammoth dropped a 5-3 decision to the Blues.on Thursday.

St. Louis took an early lead in the first period when Pavel Buchnevich picked up a loose puck to the side of the Utah net and knocked it in for his 20th of the season at 3:45 assisted by Jordan Kyrou and Pius Suter. With just over three minutes remaining in the frame, Michael Carcone evened things up with a snap shot into the top shelf corner over the right shoulder of netminder Joel Hofer for his 16th of the season, assisted by JJ Peterka and John Marino.

Carcone is enjoying a bounce back season in Utah after having initially anticipated to be playing elsewhere following a disappointing seven-goal campaign last year. He won’t be looking for a new home this coming offseason, having signed a two-year, $3.5 million contract extension last month. The two squads headed to the locker room knotted up at one apiece, with Hofer having stopped 8 of 9 shots and Karel Vejmelka turning away 10 of 11.

Lawson Crouse gave Utah their first lead of the game at the drop of the puck in the second period, banging in a rebound off a shot by MacKenzie Weegar 45 seconds into the frame. Clayton Keller picked up the second assist on Crouse’s 24th goal of the season. The goal matched Crouse’s previous career high of 24 from the 2022-23 season in Arizona, and Keller’s assist extends his franchise assist and point streak record to 10 games. Keller joins Quinn Hughes (MIN) and Artemi Panarin (NYR) as the only players in the NHL to register 10-game assist streaks this season.

At 8:14, Robert Thomas tied it up again with his 23rd goal of the season, one-timing a nifty backwards pass from Dylan Holloway who was battling two defenders at the side of the net. Three minutes later Thomas struck again, putting the Blues up 3-2 with his 24th goal, assisted by Cam Fowler and Holloway. With 68 seconds remaining in the frame, Kailer Yamamoto came through with his 13th of the season to even the score once again, assisted by Weegar and Keller.

There may have been a buzzer to mark the end of the period, but it might as well have been a trip gong of a boxing match as fists began to fly between the players on the ice. When the scrum concluded, Logan Cooley and Philip Broberg were each assessed two-minute roughing penalties to carry over into the third period. Hofer stopped 9 of 11 Mammoth shots in the period, while Vejmelka turned away 5 of 7.

With the score still tied 3-3 and less than three minutes remaining in the third, the possibility of an overtime match and even the first shootout of the season for the Mammoth seemed in play, but when Utah defenseman Nate Schmidt attempted to clear the puck from behind the net, St. Louis defenseman Logan Mailloux snagged it off the dasher boards and wristed a backhand shot past Vítek Vaněček who had entered the game in the third to spell Vejmelka.

Mailloux’s unassisted goal was his fifth of the season, giving the Blues a 4-3 lead. With Vaněček pulled for an extra attacker, Robert Thomas completed his hat trick into an empty net with 38 seconds remaining to put the game away 5-3. Utah completes the regular season with new franchise records in wins (43), points (92), and points percentage (.561).

Following the game, the Mammoth remained on the ice for the team’s regular season awards as follows: All-In Award: Lawson Crouse Community Obsessed Award: Michael Carcone Three-Stars Award: Dylan Guenther Leading Scorer: Clayton Keller (26g, 62a, 88pts) Team MVP: Clayton Keller

Mammoth Governor Ryan Smith concluded the award presentations telling the home fans, “This is your team. Tusks up! Let’s Go!”

In the locker room, Crouse commented on receiving the “All In” team award, “I think I just try and do my best each and every night out there. Obviously, a lot of guys on our team do so too. I think if you look around the room, there’s a lot of guys that come out for that award, and I am obviously very grateful to get that recognition.” On bringing the playoffs to Utah for the first time and what he’s expecting from the home crowd, Crouse added, “Feeling that energy and that atmosphere out there each and every night, I find it hard to believe that there is another level. Considering how loud they have been, they’ve continued to blow us away. So I’m sure they have something in the bag for us for the playoffs.”

On winning the MVP award, captain Clayton Keller said, “It means a lot, for sure. There’s lots of other guys in this room that could have received it. It’s very special, and it means a lot for sure.” As the Mammoth prepare to travel to Las Vegas for Game 83, Keller continued, “It’s super exciting. We’re so excited to be in the playoffs. This is where we wanted to go, and now the real fun starts. Regular season’s over. It doesn’t matter at all, really. It’s focus on Vegas.” Asked what makes Utah dangerous in the first round of the playoffs, Keller said, “I think we’re a very confident team right now. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun, lots of excitement, and great for our group to get into the playoffs and feel that. So I think we’re, like I said, super confident and can’t wait.”

Forward Michael Carcone, asked about receiving the Community Obsessed Award, said, “It’s exciting. Like I said from day one, this community has been special and done so much for my family and myself, so obviously getting recognized for this award is special to me.” With regard to the playoffs, Carcone added, “We did our job getting there, and now it’s on to the next milestone here – getting some wins, getting some experience, and doing what we came here to do.” When the Mammoth return to Delta Center, Carcone is expecting the volume to increase even further. “I mean, you’ve seen it the last few games, right? It’s been pretty electric in here. I think the fans are excited, just as excited as us, so it’s going to be special.”

Utah Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny has frequently spoken of his team’s resilience in post-game interviews, and Thursday was no different. “The resilience of the guys, the way they fought during the season, through certain moments of adversity, showed a lot of growth in our ability to have urgency when it was important. We stayed away from long periods of adversity. We were capable of having good consistency and strung a few winning streaks together that pushed us over the edge. Happy about the maturity our team had and how much they gel. Even if we have always been the team who is really tight to each other, you can’t take that for granted. Same thing with your family, my family, and all of our families. You don’t take relationships for granted. So, as much as we were tight, we’re even tighter now. So proud of the guys for that. I think they earned everything. They earned the right to play game 83. We talked about it all season long. Proud of the guys for that and excited to get going.” When asked if “brotherhood” is a superpower of the team, Tourigny said, “Yep, it is. I think there’s the excitement for wanting each other, the love they have for each other, and how much they care. I think that goes a long way. We said that we had so many examples this year when we were in adversity. Some guy had the opportunity to sign a long-term deal, and so on and so forth. I think all of that showed how much our team likes each other.”

The first ever playoff hunt for the Mammoth begins Sunday in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights.

André Tourigny’s career coaching record, seasons 1-3 in Arizona and 4-5 in Utah: 2021-22: 25-50-7 (57pts) 2022-23: 28-40-14 (70pts) 2023-24: 36-41-5 (77pts) 2024-25: 38-31-13 (89pts) 2025-26: 43-33-6 (94pts)

NHL podcast Len Shapiro: Oilers McDavid’s 5 point hat trick; How did loosing Luke Hughes impact New Jersey; plus more news

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Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center Wed Apr 8, 2026 (AP News photo)

NHL podcast Len Shapiro:

#1 How did Connor McDavid’s five-point hat trick impact the Edmonton Oilers’ push for the Pacific Division lead?

#2 What does Luke Hughes being shut down for the season mean for the New Jersey Devils’ future plans?

#3 Why is Ilya Protas’ NHL debut with the Washington Capitals being called “unbelievable,” and what does it signal for their young core?

#4 What are the key playoff implications across the NHL as teams battle for clinching scenarios on April 9?

#5 The Oilers with a victory over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night that puts the Oilers in the number seed in the Pacific. Vegas Golden Knights would play the Ducks if the season were to end today. Utah won and their in the playoffs and their wild card one beating the Nashville Predators. That pushed Nashville outside the playoffs. The LA Kings are still in wild card two.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast Len Shapiro: Jets get three goal win over Knights 4-1; Blues Hofer shuts out Caps 3-0; plus more NHL news

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Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) makes a save on Vegas Golden Knights Keegan Kolesar (55) as Elias Salmonsson (57) defends in the first period at the T Moblie Center in Las Vegas on Tue Mar 24, 2026 (AP News photo)

NHL podcast Len Shapiro:

#1 The Winnipeg Jets handled the Vegas Golden Knights in Edmonton on Tuesday night with a 3 goal win 4-1. The Jets Mark Scheifele kept busy with a goal and two assists and got it hit with a fighting major in the second period. It’s rare for Scheifele to get into a scrape not to mention a major. The Jets Kyle Connor, Alex Iafallo and Cole Perfetti also scored for Winnipeg.

#2 St Louis Blues Jimmy Snuggerrud and Otto Stenberg scored goals and the Blues goaltender Joel Hofer saved 21 shots as the Blues got a shutout over the Washington Capitals 3-0 on Tuesday night. The Blues Jordan Kyrou scored his 17th goal on a empty netter with 41 seconds left to put the final touches for the win.

#3 The Calgary Flames edged the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday night 3-2 at Scotia Place in Calgary defeating the Kings in a four round shootout on Yegor Sharangovich’s shootout goal. Olli Maatta and Zayne Parekh each had goals in the first period scoring their first goals of the season. The Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf saved 23 shots.

#4 The Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid reached 400 career goals Connor McDavid kept a straight face while making a curious revelation to a group of reporters after surpassing 400 career goals not to mention picking up a second goal his 401st goal of his career that helped the Edmonton Oilers to a 5-2 win over the Utah Mammoth at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night.

#5 Mikael Granlund of the Anaheim Ducks scored two goals and Alex Killorn picked up goal and an assist as the Anaheim Ducks beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-3 on Tuesday night at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Mason McTavish and Troy Terry both scored for the Ducks and John Carlson picked up three assists while goaltender Lukas Dostal saved 27 shots.

Join Len Shapiro for the NHL podcasts heard Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks Suffer Another 7-2 Loss Against the Golden Knights

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Alexander Wennberg scores the final goal of the night for the Sharks against the Golden Knights at SAP Center on Jan 11, 2026 (AP Photo)

By Fernando Abarca

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Sharks returned to SAP Center for rare back-to-back weekend games looking to build momentum, but faced a difficult test against the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights to 7-2 loss on Sunday.

Any hopes of an even contest were short-lived, as Vegas struck first off a faceoff. Ivan Barbashev set up Jack Eichel with time and space in the circle, and Eichel beat the goaltender at 7:19 of the first period to open the scoring.

Two minutes later, the Sharks responded. At 9:33, Colin Graf won a puck battle in the Vegas defensive zone, creating a scoring chance that Jeff Skinner set up for Graf to finish to tie the game at 1.

Vegas regained control on the power play. Pavel Dorofeyev scored to make it 2-1, with assists from Mark Stone and Tomas Hertl, with 10:57 remaining in the first period. The Golden Knights carried the one-goal lead into intermission.

The second period proved difficult for San Jose. Vegas scored three times, goals from Jack Eichel, Zach Whitecloud, and Hertl, to build a 5-1 advantage. The Sharks found a late spark when Alexander Wennberg scored at 16:29, cutting the deficit to 5-2 heading into the third period.

The third period was largely uneventful and dominated by the visitors, with the outcome appearing decided before play resumed. The Sharks played passively for much of the final 20 minutes. Penalties provided the few notable moments, as Tyler Toffoli was called for high-sticking and William Eklund for hooking. Vegas added two goals with an empty-net score and another in the final seconds to seal a 7-2 victory.

The result matched a 7-2 loss to Vegas on Dec. 23 and marked another winless showing for the Sharks against the Golden Knights this season.

The Sharks will go on the road to face the Washington Capitals on Tuesday Night.

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa: Sharks take on Stars and Knights on back to back nights at SAP

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San Jose Sharks Macklin Celebrini (A on sweater) will lead the Sharks against the Dallas Stars on Sat Jan 10, 2026 and against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sun Jan 11, 2026 at SAP Center (AP file photo)

San Jose Sharks podcast Mary Lisa:

#1 Macklin Celebrini leads the Sharks in scoring and has been one of San Jose’s most dynamic offensive forces this season. On Saturday How will Dallas try to contain him?

#2 Alexander Wennberg has been a key contributor to San Jose’s offense. Can he help drive offense alongside Celebrini against Dallas?

#3 With goaltending performance likely critical in this matchup, which of the Sharks’ netminders can shut down Dallas’ top shooters?

#4 On Sunday can Celebrini’s elite scoring continue against a tough Vegas defense and be the spark the Sharks need to compete in this Pacific Division matchup?

#5 How will Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov handle the Golden Knights’ high-octane attack — and can his performance give San Jose a chance to steal a win at home?

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

Golden Knights Rout the Sharks, Win 7-2; Celebrini, Graf Extend Point Streaks, Loss streak hits

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San Jose Sharks defenseman John Klingberg (3) and Vegas Golden Knights Mitch Marner (93) fight for the puck at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas Tue Dec 23, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

LAS VEGAS- The San Jose Sharks were defeated 7-2 by the Vegas Golden Knights Tuesday. Bret Howden, Mitch Marner, Colton Sissons, Tomas Hertl, Mark Stone and Reilly Smith scored for the Golden Knights (17-8-10). Carter Hart made 21 saves for the win. Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf scored for the San Jose Sharks (17-17-3). Yaroslav Askarov started the game for San Jose and made 12 saves on 16 shots. Alex Nedeljkovic made seven saves on ten shots in the 7-2 loss at the T Mobile Center.

The loss was the third in a row for the Sharks, and the lopsided score was more reminiscent of last season than this one. “When you’re chasing a game down five nothing, after the first against a team like that, it’s tough sledding,” said Ryan Reaves after the game. He described the Sharks’ game as “Doing everything the exact opposite of what we talked about before the game.”

Bret Howden started the scoring at 1:49. Skating into the zone, Howden passed the puck to Braeden Bowman, who passed it right back for Howden’s snap shot. An assist also went to Reilly Smith.

Next up was Mitch Marner with a power play goal at 9:07. From the hash marks, Marner sent the puck to the net and it went off of SJ21’s skate. Assists went to Noah Hanifin and Pavel Dorofeyev.

At 11:37, Colton Sissons made it 3-0. Skating into the zone two-on-one with Keegan Kolesar, trading passes, Sissons scored with a wrist shot from close in. An assist also went to Brandon Saad.

Tomas Hertl scored with a snap shot at 14:57 from the edge of the faceoff circle. An assist went to Dorofeyev.

The Sharks pulled Askarov out after that goal and sent in Nedeljkovic. On the first shot Nedeljkovic faced, Mark Stone scored with a backhand. Assists went to Ivan Barbashev and Kaeden Korczak.

At the end of the first period, The Sharks had just five shots on goal to Vegas’s 17. The Sharks toook two penalties and Vegas took one.

Macklin Celebrini trimmed the Vegas lead by one at 6:49 of the second period. Celebrini caught a pass in the slot and took his shot. That pass came from Tyler Toffoli.

Reilly Smith restored the five-goal lead at 18:50 with a slap shot off a pass from Korczak. An assist also went to Bowman.

In the second period, the Sharks had even fewer shots on goal, only four. Vegas had just five. The Sharks took the only penalty in the second.

Mitch Marner scored his second of the game at 5:22 of the third. Marner skated into the zone with Stone and Barbashev three-on-two. Marner, in the middle, caught a pass from Stone and scored with a wrist shot.

Collin Graf scored his tenth of the season at 8:04. Graf scored on a rebound from Toffoli’s shot. An assist also went to Alexander Wennberg.

The shots in the third were 14-4 San Jose.

The Sharks next play on Saturday in Vancouver at 7:00 PM PT against the Canucks.

Sharks Rally But Fall 4-3 to Golden Knights

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

San Jose Sharks center Will Smith (2) scores a goal on Las Vegas goaltender Carl Lindbom (30) in the first period at T Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Sat Nov 29, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. Tomas Hertl, Colton Sissons and Mitch Marner scored for the Golden Knights. Carl Lindbom made 18 saves for the win. Will Smith and William Eklund scored for the Sharks. Alex Nedeljkovic made 20 saves in the loss.

The Sharks made it back to a one-goal game, after falling behind 4-1 in the second period. After the game, Sharks defenseman John Klingberg said: “That’s a good team over there. They’ve been good for a lot of years. I think we played with them. There was a few scenarios in the second where we got beat and that’s how we probably lost the game.”

Alex Nedeljkovic described the beginning of the game: “They were on top of us in all three zones. They really didn’t give us much time and space. They didn’t give us a chance to breathe.” In comparison, at the end of the second, he said “Finally, we played fast, we were moving away from the puck and creating our own space.”

Will Smith scored the first goal of the game at 7:04 of the first. He caught a neutral zone pass from Tyler Toffoli then skated into the zone and snapped the puck past Lindbom on the glove side.

Tomas Hertl tied the game at 16:13 with a wrist shot from the slot. Assists went to Pavel Dorofeyev and Ben Hutton.

At the end of the first, the shots were 9-7 Vegas. There were no penalties called in the first.

Vegas jumped out to the lead at 5:36. Colton Sissons poked the puck past Nedeljkovic. Assists went to
Keegan Kolesar and Cole Reinhardt.

Mitch Marner made it 3-1 less than two minutes later. Marner used a wrap-around on Nedeljkovic’s stick side. Assists went to Brett Howden and Mark Stone.

Tomas Hertl added another at 12:38 on the power play, deflecting a shot by Mitch Marner. An assist also went to Jack Eichel.

Will Smith scored his second of the game on thew power play at 14:40. With a neat little move along the boards, Macklin Celebrini knocked the puck free and Smith met it in front of the net.

With 25 seconds left in the period, William Eklund carried the puck in and scored with a backhand. Assists went to Adam Gaudette and Mario Ferraro.

In the second period, the shots were 10-9 Vegas. The Sharks took two penalties in the second and they had one power play.

A scoreless third period saw just five shots per team. A single penalty was called, at 19:25 to Brayden McNabb for cross-checking Macklin Celebrini while the Sharks played with an extra skater. A close finish but no cigar for the Sharks.

The Sharks next play on Monday back in San Jose against the Utah Mammoth at 7:00 PM PT.