LAS VEGAS—Logan Couture’s second goal of the game, on the power play at 5:13 of the second overtime, lifted the San Jose Sharks to a 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night, tying their Western Conference semifinal series at one game apiece. Moments after Vegas’ Jon Merrill was called for hooking, Couture found the back of the net, as the Sharks stole home-ice advantage from Vegas. The Golden Knights, who lost for the first time in six playoff games, thought they won in the first overtime when Jonathan Marchessault’s backhand sailed past Jones with 3:02 left, but officials ruled there was goaltender interference when Marchessault ran into Jones’ blocker and spun him around before his shot. Brent Burns also scored two goals and Martin Jones stopped 26 shots for San Jose, which was playing without suspended forward Evander Kane. William Karlsson scored twice, while Nate Schmidt got his first of the post-season to tie the score at 3-3 with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third period. Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 43 saves.
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Game 3 is Monday night at San Jose. It was the second straight series the Golden Knights went into double overtime in Game 2, with their opponent missing a key player due to suspension. Los Angeles was missing Drew Doughty in the opening round. Unlike the first game of this series, which saw the Golden Knights become the third NHL franchise to score at least seven goals in a playoff game during its inaugural season, Game 2 was much more physical, something that seemingly took Vegas out of its rhythm in the second period.
In Game 1, Vegas blocked 26 shots, to the Sharks’ 13, but San Jose held a 36-26 edge in Game 2. And after being whistled for 10 penalties in first series-opener, as opposed to Vegas’ five, the Golden Knights found themselves in the box more than San Jose, 11-6. Read more: NHL playoff stories to watch in Round 2 of the fight for the Stanley Cup Opinion | Damian Cox: Fleury’s Vegas heroics can’t be surprising any more Editorial: Vegas Golden Knights have beaten the odds The Golden Knights got on the board late in the first period after Colin Miller’s slap shot from the point sailed wide of the net, off the end boards and right to Karlsson, who found the back of the net from a tight angle. Karlsson notched his second goal when he took advantage of a turnover forced by Reilly Smith, overlooked passing it back to Smith, skated in and beat Martin Jones from the circle to put Vegas up 2-0 just 26 seconds into the second period. Burns brought an end to the Sharks’ 82-minute scoring drought when he picked up the puck off the draw and blasted a slap shot from the point to cut Vegas’ lead in half. Couture tied the game at 2 with a goal that conceivably could have been avoided. After blocking a shot by Dylan Demelo, Fleury pushed the puck to Deryk Engelland behind the net, rather than covering it up. Tomas Hertl got ahold of it and fed Couture, who one-timed in with just under nine minutes left in the second. Three minutes later, Burns gave San Jose a 3-2 lead after he snagged the puck off a faceoff, circled the back of the net and tucked it in on a wraparound. Schmidt tied the game when he took a pass from Shea Theodore and one-timed it from the blue line in the third.
Vegas Golden Knights center Jonathan Marchessault (81) checks San Jose Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon (4) into the glass during overtime of Game 2. (Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA TODAY Sports)
Stop us if you've heard this one before: There was a controversial goalie interference review in an NHL game.
This time, though, the stakes have never been higher.
The Vegas Golden Knights appeared to win Game 2 of their series against the San Jose Sharks in overtime on a goal by Jonathan Marchessault.
But, instead of a 2-0 series lead for the expansion team, the goal went to review and it was determined by the situation room in Toronto — which took over the process for goalie interference reviews late in the regular season — that Marchessault interfered with Sharks goalie Martin Jones before potting the rebound.
Golden Knights’ game-winner called back for goalie interference pic.twitter.com/RsypDHG4PC — Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 29, 2018
The Sharks went on to win the game in the second overtime on a power-play goal by Logan Couture.
The loss was the first for the Golden Knights in the playoffs. The series now shifts to San Jose for Monday's Game 3 tied up 1-1.
The San Jose Sharks got a goalie interference call in the first overtime Saturday, taking the would-be winner off the board for the Vegas Golden Knights and deflating a rocking T-Mobile Arena.
[RELATED: Complete Golden Knights vs. Sharks series coverage]
Then they got two power plays in the second overtime, and center Logan Couture scored on the second at 5:13, taking a sweet pass from forward Kevin Labanc and firing the puck from the left circle before goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury could slide across.
San Jose won 4-3, tied the Western Conference Second Round 1-1 and gave Vegas its first defeat in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Game 3 of the best-of-7 series is at San Jose on Monday (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS).
But it's hard to argue the calls, and it's harder still to argue that the Sharks weren't the better team for most of the game. They were far better than they were in their 7-0 loss in Game 1. They outshot the Golden Knights, 47-29. They got them to take 11 penalties.
"Our compete level was better," Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. "Our details were better. They still played a good game. It came right down to the end a few plays, and it went our way."
When Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault backhanded the puck into the San Jose net 16:58 into the first overtime, the horn blew. The Golden Knights celebrated along with their fans.
But Sharks goaltender Martin Jones stayed near his net. His teammates didn't leave the ice.
"He doesn't really react after goals, and he was pretty upset after that one," Couture said. "So I was pretty confident it was going to get called back."
Video: SJS@VGK, Gm2: Couture wins it with PPG in 2OT
The NHL Situation Room in Toronto initiated a review under the terms of a coach's challenge for goaltender interference. Replays showed Marchessault had come from behind to Jones' right and clipped him on the blocker side, and had spun him out of position. The Situation Room determined the contact prevented Jones from doing his job.
No goal.
"It looked pretty clear to me," Jones said.
The Sharks came out strong in the second OT, drawing two stick fouls in the Vegas zone: high sticking on defenseman Shea Theodore and hooking on defenseman Jon Merrill.
"I think when you're creating offensive chances and you're forcing teams to play defensive hockey, that's when penalties happen, because they get tired and you wear them down in their D zone," Couture said.
The Sharks did that through the first two periods. They trailed 2-0 early in the second, meaning they had been outscored 9-0 through a little more than four periods in the series, but they were carrying the play.
After they drew a holding-the-stick call on forward David Perron, defenseman Brent Burns broke through on the power play at the 2:00 mark, taking a slap shot that deflected off the shaft of the stick of Golden Knights center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
Couture tied it 2-2 with a 4-on-4 goal at 11:08, beating Fleury with a one-timer from the slot. Burns put the Sharks ahead 3-2 with a 4-on-4 goal at 14:07, wrapping around the net before Fleury could recover. Vegas challenged for goaltender interference, but the goal counted because defenseman Colin Miller had pushed forward Timo Meier into Fleury.
Video: Couture lifts Sharks to 2OT win in Game 2
Fleury had allowed three goals in five games. Now he had allowed three in one period.
"It was important we got to him," Pavelski said. "Once we did in that second, I think we gained a little confidence and we were able to get going a little bit."
The Golden Knights forced overtime when defenseman Nate Schmidt took a slap shot from the point that deflected off Sharks forward Melker Karlsson and eluded Jones at 13:28.
The first overtime could have gone either way. Fleury and Jones traded huge saves -- Fleury stopping forward Barclay Goodrow all alone after a turnover by Theodore, Fleury pokechecking the puck from Pavelski after defenseman Deryk Engelland fell, Jones stopping center Erik Haula, Fleury tapping the puck out of the air and catching it with his glove.
With 5:48 to go, Golden Knights forward James Neal hit the knob of Jones' stick. An inch either way and Vegas would have won.
"Oh, that was a tough one," Neal said. "I thought it was going in. I had a few chances, for sure. I wish I would have buried them. Would like to have it back maybe. That's bounces, you know."
That's hockey. The Golden Knights missed an opportunity here, with Sharks forward Evander Kane suspended for cross-checking Bellemare in the head in Game 1, with a 2-0 lead. They lost home-ice advantage and must respond to a loss for the first time in the playoffs -- a gut-wrenching loss too.
"A lot of emotions," Neal said. "It takes the wind out of your sails a little bit, I'd say."
