It was more of the same for the Sharks to start Game 3 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series with the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night.
For the ninth time in 17 games, the Golden Knights scored within the first five minutes against the Sharks. Mark Stone needed just 16 seconds to give Vegas a 1-0 lead when he flipped a back-hand shot over San Jose goaltender Martin Jones' left shoulder.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Stone had a wide-open path to the slot after he eluded Sharks center Logan Couture in the neutral zone. Defenseman Brenden Dillon couldn't close the gap in time to deny Stone a chance.
[RELATED: Five observations as Sharks-Golden Knights series heads to Sin City]
Early goals against have been the norm for the Sharks against the Golden Knights, but particularly in T-Mobile Arena -- the site of Game 3 on Sunday. In six of eight trips to Sin City in the regular season and playoffs, San Jose has been scored on within the first five minutes.
Vegas doubled its lead exactly 12 minutes later, when Max Pacioretty scored in his second consecutive game. But San Jose was able to pull one back before the end of the first period, when Kevin Labanc scored his first goal of the postseason from a tight angle.
With his assist on the goal, Joe Thornton now has three points in three games after missing the entirety of the playoffs last year. If the Sharks are going to overcome their slow start, he'll need to stay red-hot.