By Taylor Lupetti
Despite responding to the Vegas Golden Knights’ four unanswered goals with three of their own, the San Jose Sharks were unable to close the gap and dropped Game 5, 5-3.
San Jose goaltender Martin Jones allowed four goals on 31 shots before being replaced by backup goaltender Aaron Dell.
The first period remained scoreless until James Neal gave the Knights a 1-0 lead in the final three seconds.
Alex Tuch’s power-play goal and Erik Haula’s third postseason goal in the second period extended Vegas’ lead to three heading in the third.
Tuch struck again in the third for Vegas’ fourth unanswered goal of the game.
It took 50:25 and a four-goal deficit for the Sharks to wake up and start scoring.
Left-winger Kevin Labanc deposited San Jose’s first goal in Marc-Andre Fleury’s net with a power-play goal at 9:35 of the period.
The goal was not only the Sharks’ first for the night, but the 22-year-old’s first career playoff goal.
Center Tomas Hertl followed Labanc in less than three minutes with his sixth goal of the postseason and made it 4-2.
Mikkel Boedker followed up for the last goal the Sharks would see that night. The 15:44 goal was the left-winger’s first of the postseason and closed the once large gap to one goal.
All three of San Jose’s goals were assisted by center Logan Couture, who is the point leader on the team this postseason.
An empty-netter by Vegas’ Jonathan Marchessault sealed the game for the Knights with a little more than a minute remaining in the game.
Vegas went on to win 5-3 to take a 3-2 series lead in Round 2.
The Knights outshot the Sharks 39-30, with Fleury making 27 saves.
The Sharks face elimination as they return home for Game 6 on Sunday at 4:30 p.m.
Follow Taylor on Twitter @tayclupetti