Sharks fall to Golden Knights in belated home opener

The San Jose Sharks lost to the Vegas Golden Knights 3-1 in their delayed home opener at SAP Center in San Jose on Saturday.

The Sharks (5-7-1) played their first 12 games this season on the road due to COVID-19 restrictions in Santa Clara County, California that included a ban on contact sports. The county lifted those restrictions Jan. 25.
"It was nice. Really cool feeling coming out of the shark head again," Sharks captain Logan Couture said. "They had our fans on a screen when we were walking out. Special fans here. We wish [the arena] was full. We miss them every day."
It was the Sharks' first home game in 342 days, since March 8, 2020, a 4-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. The NHL paused its season due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus four days later, and San Jose was not among the 24 teams to compete in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers in the NHL Return To Play plan.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 24 saves making his third consecutive start for Golden Knights (9-2-1). Jonathan Marchessault, Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson scored on the power play, and Peter DeBoer won his first game against the Sharks as coach of the Golden Knights.
DeBoer, who coached the Sharks to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016, was 198-129-34 with San Jose until he was fired on Dec. 11, 2019. He was hired by the Golden Knights on Jan. 15, 2020.
"These games are never easy when you're coming back into a situation like this," DeBoer said. "It was great to catch up with some people I've got a lot of time and respect for and went through a lot of wars with. That was the nice part. The game, you want to get through it and get out. It was a hard-fought game at ice level."

Tomas Hertl scored for San Jose, and Martin Jones made 23 saves.
"When your team plays hard and your team plays well, and you still lose the game, it's a lot easier to swallow than when you beat yourselves, and I don't think we beat ourselves tonight," Sharks coach Bob Boughner said. "We didn't find enough offense, but I don't think you can say after the game that the team on the other side really handled us and really outplayed us and we just didn't show up. That's not the case."
The Golden Knights rotated Fleury and Robin Lehner through the first nine games, but Lehner missed his second consecutive game with an upper-body injury.
"It's been about a year since I've had three games in a row," said Fleury, who is 6-1-0 this season. "When you split [starts], you always get time for rest and to prepare for your next matchup. I feel like you feel the game a little better [playing more], feel more relaxed. You can feel more comfortable from the start."
Marchessault scored at 13:13 of the first period to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead, his third goal in five games. Stone made it 2-0 at 9:56 of the second period with a backhand off a rebound.
Hertl cut it to 2-1 at 18:39 of the second period on a 2-on-1. Stephenson made it 3-1 at 6:45 of the third period when the puck deflected off his skate.

It's the fourth time this season Fleury has allowed one goal or fewer. Fleury, who won his 472nd game in the NHL, lost 1-0 to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.
"[Thursday] was on the players," Stephenson said. "[Fleury] did everything he could for us to win. To come out with another performance like this … he's the backbone of the team. Whenever we need a save or some momentum, he's always there."
NOTES: The Golden Knights were 3-for-5 on the power play. … It was Fleury's 97th win with Vegas (97-51-14). … Sharks defensemen Radim Simek (upper body) and Erik Karlsson (lower body) did not finish the game. Simek left at 2:11 of the second period, and Karlsson did not play the final 11:31.