To say the first two games this season between the Sharks and Golden Knights were heavily tilted in Vegas’ favor is a major understatement. But San Jose didn’t sit back the third time around Thursday Night at T-Mobile Arena.
The Sharks put on a playoff-type performance in the desert, which ended with a big overtime goal from captain Logan Couture to give San Jose a 2-1 victory.
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Here are three takeaways from Thursday's game in Sin City.
It starts with a good ... start
Sharks fans likely were pleased that San Jose didn't give up the first goal in the first five minutes of the game -- something that has happened all too often against Vegas. But the Sharks didn't just keep the game scoreless through five minutes -- they kept Vegas off the board through two and a half periods.
It all stemmed from San Jose starting off the game the right way. Granted, the Sharks took their foot off of the gas late in the third period which allowed Vegas to tie it up, but if they can harness the same physicality and play like that against other teams, more victories will come.
San Jose Sharks
Dell saves the day ... and his job?
It's fair to say that Dell's job was on the line heading into Thursday's game. He hadn't started in almost three weeks after a couple of very bad outings. But boy, did he come to play against the Golden Knights in a difficult atmosphere. Vegas constantly peppered Dell and outshot the Sharks in the contest, but San Jose's netminder made a couple of huge saves to halt the attack, especially on the penalty kill.
After Thursday's performance, Dell surely has earned himself another start in the near future. Since the Sharks have a back-to-back coming up next week, he will likely get back in there pretty quickly, perhaps next Saturday against the Arizona Coyotes.
Welcome back, Timo
Timo Meier has sat atop the list of Sharks' players needing to bust out of a slump, but he broke through Thursday and easily was one of the most noticeable players on the ice. His second-period goal was an absolute thing of beauty as he made a huge power move to drag the puck to the net and slid it under Marc-Andre Fleury.
The biggest change in Meier's game was that he was playing a much heavier, more physical style than he previously had been. And, as we saw with Meier last season, he has the most success when he imposes his size and physicality on the opponent. If he can keep up that trend, his season could really turn around.