Sharks’ thrilling comeback win hurts Vegas’ playoff hopes

Sharks

Sharks’ thrilling comeback win hurts Vegas’ playoff hopes

The Sharks committed a couple of sins in Sin City on Sunday as a thrilling 5-4 shootout win put a dagger in the Vegas Golden Knights’ playoff hopes. 

San Jose was able to play spoiler against its rival as the incredible comeback win put Vegas’ postseason chances on life support.

Vegas was two minutes away from celebrating being closer to a playoff spot as their 4-2 lead with a little over two minutes remaining in regulation appeared to be a done deal. 

But Vegas is dubbed the Entertainment Capital of the World for a reason, and the Sharks weren’t leaving T-Mobile Arena without putting on a show. 

Sharks’ veteran forward Nick Bonino scored his second goal of the night with 2:06 remaining in the third period. 

Bonino’s goal gave the Sharks the momentum they needed, but they knew getting another through the net wasn’t going to be easy.

As the clock wound down to the final seconds, the Sharks never gave up and continued to battle on both ends. 

And with less than a second remaining, Timo Meier scored a goal with 0.9 seconds on the clock to tie the game and force overtime. 

The intense matchup got even more intense as it reached a shootout. And it was 20-year-old Thomas Bordeleau who scored the shootout winner and got to play the hero. 

“I was ready,” Bordeleau said after the game. “I didn’t know if I was going to go or not. And [coach Bob Boughner] just said ‘Alright, Bords, go win this thing for us’, so I just went out there and did my thing.” 

The loss severely damaged Vegas’ playoff hopes with three games left in the season. The Dallas Stars can eliminate the Golden Knights if they beat them in regulation on Tuesday. 

Prior to the game, Meier called Sunday’s showdown “the biggest game of the year” as he and the team wouldn’t want anything more than to knock out their rivals from the postseason. 

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The Sharks have lost 11 straight games to the Golden Knights, dating back to the 2019-20 season. Although they will miss the playoffs this year, the win in Vegas had to feel good. 

Also feeling good? Several other teams throughout the league who became Sharks fans for the night in hopes they would beat the Golden Knights.