Fueled by handing the Golden Knights their first-ever franchise loss, the Sharks hoped that they could take charge of a split series tonight. From the start, they looked like a team that was ready and able to win, even without the services of Joonas Donskoi, who sat out thanks to a lower body injury.
Despite a strong start from the Sharks, just five minutes into the game, Mikkel Boedker made a mess of a play, tossing the puck back to the blueline, where there was no one in teal awaiting it. The resulting turnover wound up on the stick of Erik Haula, who tested Martin Jones early.