The Golden Knights took a 3-0 lead in Game 7. It looked like it was over yet again. But the Sharks scored four power-play goals during a major penalty in the third period to take a 4-3 lead.
Marchessault tied it 4-4 with 47 seconds left in the third.
"That's the team we are," Marchessault said. "No one gives up in that locker room. That's probably one of the things I'm most proud of. It was one of the best feelings, honestly, to tie it up and bring it to OT.
"We felt in the overtime that we would win that game."
But they didn't.
It was Barclay Goodrow, a fourth-line center, who scored in overtime to give the Sharks a 5-4 victory.
"A couple days after, [president of hockey operations George McPhee is] like, 'You've got to move on' and stuff like that," Marchessault said. "But you don't forget necessarily that easy. So it lingers, obviously. But it's just going to fuel me for motivation for this year, I think.
"We're not mad at them. It's all in their honor. They were down 3-1 in the series. They came back. They scored four goals on the power play. It's all in their honor. I think they took advantage of a situation, and it's not their fault. Good for them.
"At the end, I'm still a fan as a hockey person to watch San Jose. I think they're a fun team to watch."
Well, here we go again.
"It will be great game to start season," Hertl said. "We know the atmosphere there will be insane, same for our building, because it's kind of now 1-1. They beat us first year. We beat them second year in playoffs. So we want to prove it. It will be always, like, 'Who will be better now?'"