LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mitch Marner scored two goals, Reilly Smith had a goal and an assist, and the Vegas Golden Knights tied a franchise record with five goals in the first period and beat the San Jose Sharks 7-2 on Tuesday night.
Mark Stone also had a goal and an assist, and Brett Howden, Colton Sissons and Tomas Hertl also scored for Vegas. Pavel Dorofeyev, Kaeden Korczak, Braeden Bowman and Ivan Barbashev each had two assists, and Carter Hart had 21 saves to help the Golden Knights snap a three-game skid (0-2-1).
HIGHLIGHT REEL: Watch highlights from the Golden Knights' seven-goal game vs. the Sharks
Macklin Celebrini and Colin Graf scored, and Tyler Toffoli had two assists for San Jose in its third straight loss. Yaroslav Askarov gave up four goals on 16 shots before he was pulled with 5:03 left in the first period. Alex Nedeljkovic had seven saves the rest of the way.
The Golden Knights had a season-high scoring output, topping the previous high of six reached three times in October.
The five-goal first tied the Golden Knights' franchise record for a period, accomplished four times previously. Vegas had 13 players record at least a point in the period, breaking the previous mark of 11 accomplished three times.
Howden scored on a 2-on-1 with Bowman to get Vegas on the scoreboard 1:46 into the game.
Marner made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 9:07 as his cross-ice pass for Dorofeyev deflected off Sharks center Alexander Wennberg and past Askarov.
Sissons scored with 8:23 remaining in the first on a 2-on-1 with Keegan Kolesar. Kolesar sent a backhand pass past sliding defenseman Mario Ferraro and off Askarov's left pad to Sissons for the tap-in on the right side.
Hertl converted from the inside edge of the right circle with 5:03 to go in the period for a four-goal lead, chasing Askarov. Stone put a backhander past Nedeljkovic from the left side with 1:26 remaining to cap the big opening period.
Celebrini got San Jose on the scoreboard at 6:49 of the second for the 19-year-old's 19th of the season.
Smith made it 6-1 with 1:10 remaining in the middle period, and Marner's second of the night made it a six-goal lead at 5:22 of the third.
Up next
The Vegas Golden Knights will host the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
Puck drop is scheduled at 7 p.m. You can watch pregame coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. on Vegas34 and KnightTime+
Vegas Golden Knights
VGK drops 2025-26 broadcast schedule with 69 games on The Spot-Vegas 34
-
‘Hexing’ the VGK? Denver donut shop leans into Vegas’ villain reputation for WCF
A Denver donut shop tried to “hex” the Golden Knights ahead of the Western Conference Final. Then Vegas won Game 1 and leaned further into its role as the NHL’s villain.
VGK rolls to early lead, hold off Avs 4-2 to open Western Conference Final
It was a smothering performance most of the game by the Golden Knights as they kept the pressure on goaltender Scott Wedgewood, while controlling the Avalanche's speed through the neutral zone.
Colorado without Makar in Game 1; Stone skates for VGK ahead of West Final
The Avalanche will be without superstar defenseman Cale Makar for Game 1 against the Golden Knights, while Vegas captain Mark Stone returned to the ice Wednesday morning at Ball Arena as his status for the series opener remains uncertain.
NHL Coaches' Association says it is monitoring the situation with Bruce Cassidy and Vegas
The NHL Coaches' Association says it is closely monitoring the situation involving Bruce Cassidy amid reports that the Vegas Golden Knights have denied multiple teams permission to speak with him about working for them