Golden Knights’ Carrier Scores Late Game-Winning Goal To Stun Sharks

Will Carrier's goal with just 16.6 seconds left in a tie game gave the Vegas Golden Knights (33-18-4, 70 points) a 2-1 win over the San Jose Sharks (17-28-11, 45 points) Thursday afternoon. The Golden Knights struggled to score all night and went 0-for-7 on the powerplay. But they got the goal that mattered most.

It was Black History Month Knight at the Fortress as the VGK wore special warmup jerseys, which were partially designed by Keegan Kolesar. No lineup changes were made by the Golden Knights and Adin Hill got the start.

FIRST PERIOD

• Will Carrier muscled his way to the net. After a puck hit a skate, Phil Kessel collected a got a shot off.
• William Karlsson made an in-between-the-legs pass to Jonathan Marchessault who also got a shot on Kappo Kahkonen.
• VGK PP- Paul Cotter sliced through the Sharks' defense after getting a pass from Jack Eichel. He was stopped but drew a penalty on Mario Ferraro.
• VGK PP- Right after the Golden Knights failed to score on their first powerplay, Tomas Hertl was called for a high stick.
• On the second powerplay, Nick Bonino made a sprawling save on Reilly Smith to prevent a goal.
• SJS PP- Keegan Kolesar was boarded by Noah Gregor. Brett Howden didn't like it and went after Gregor. But he was called for cross-checking.
• VGK PP- A scrum ensued after Michael Eyssimont tripped Shea Theodore into the boards. Classic Sharks v Golden Knights.
• The Golden Knights failed to score on the powerplay in the first period, despite three attempts.

SECOND PERIOD

• The Sharks came out in the second period with a stronger game.
• Brett Howden raced to a loose puck and attempted to connect with Phil Kessel on a 2-on-1 but Kessel couldn't handle the pass.
• Jack Eichel almost got loose with a breakaway attempt but Alexander Barabanov made a great defensive play to steal the puck.
• The first part second period consisted of more of the same as the first period, minus the penalties. Neither team was able to score.
• VGK PP- Tomas Hertl was called for his second penalty of the game, a tripping penalty on William Karlsson.
• A great rush chance with some amazing passing finished with Michael Amadio getting stonewalled on the doorstep by Kappo Kahkonen.
• Adin Hill made a collection of strong saves as the Sharks pressed on a 2-on-1. Shea Theodore almost deflected one into his own net.
• 1-0 SJS GOAL- On a rebound chance, Alexander Barabanov scored the first goal of the game late in the second period.
• VGK PP- Noah Gregor blatantly tripped Paul Cotter, which gave the Golden Knights their fifth powerplay of the night.

 THIRD PERIOD

• VGK PP- Jacob MacDonald was called for holding, and the Golden Knights got their sixth powerplay of the game.
• NO GOAL- Jonathan Marchessault pushed in a puck on the powerplay but it was deemed that Kappo Kahkonen was covering the puck and that Marchessault shoved in the puck while he had covered up the puck. No challenge was made and the fans showed their disapproval.
• 1-1 VGK GOAL- Jack Eichel hit Paul Cotter with a stretch pass out of the zone and Cotter finally got the Golden Knights on the board.

• VGK PP- For the seventh time, the Golden Knights got a power play. This time it was Timo Meier for high sticking.
• Some unbelievable blocks and saves were made by the Sharks' defense and Kappo Kahkonen and the puck stayed out.
• Adin Hill almost made a costly turnover behind his own net as he turned it over to Alexander Barabanov, who almost scored.
• After some Sharks pressure, Adin Hill made up for it later in the period, making a big save on Kevin Labanc to keep the game tied.
• 2-1 VGK GOAL- With 16.6 seconds remaining, Will Carrier scored after a faceoff win and a quick pass from Chandler Stephenson.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS NOTES

• Will Carrier's goal with 16.6 seconds left capped off a Golden Knights game where they struggled to score for the most part. He now has the same number of game-winning-goals this season (7) as both Connor McDavid and Brayden Point. Unreal.
• The Golden Knights powerplay went 0 for 7 on the night and is now 0 for their last 24. Without Mark Stone, the VGK are lacking a net-front presence on their powerplay.
• With another goal Thursday night, Paul Cotter now has goals in three-straight games for the first time in his NHL career.
• Nicolas Hague broke two players' sticks in the first period of the game alone with his "Haguerbomb" slapshot.
• There was an edge to this game with several post-whistle scrums. Brett Howden was involved in some altercations and stood up for his teammate, Keegan Kolesar after he was boarded by Noah Gregor. The hate is still there between these two teams, who have formed a new NHL rivalry since 2017.

VHN's Player of the Game: Will Carrier

The man of the night, for obvious reasons.

Up Next: The Golden Knights will play the Tampa Bay Lightning at home on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.