San Jose Sharks, Danil Gushchin defeated the Vegas Golden Knights

The San Jose Sharks ended the preseason the way they wanted on Saturday night, scoring three straight goals late in the third period to secure a 6-5 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena .

With the Sharks trailing by two, Luke Kunin scored at 17:00 and 18:18 of the third period before Ethan Cardwell scored with 12 seconds left to give San Jose the lead.

The Sharks allowed goals in the third period to Mark Stone and Pavel Dorofeyev, who had a hat trick, and fell behind 5-3.

Danil Gushchin finished the game with a remarkable five assists.

Less than three minutes after Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro scored a goal 35 seconds into the third period to tie the game at 3-3, Stone redirected a shot from Shea Theodore past goalie Mackenzie Blackwood on a Golden Knights power play to give his team the lead Ball takes the lead.

Dorofeyev then completed the hat trick at 8:46 of the third period off a pass from former Shark Tomas Hertl, who finished with three assists.

Winger Klim Kostin and defenseman Jimmy Schuldt also scored for the Sharks, who finished the preseason with a 2-3-1 record. San Jose opens the regular season on Thursday at home against the St. Louis Blues.

Gushchin also assisted on Kunin's goal at 17:00 of the third period when the Sharks pulled Blackwood for the extra attacker

Blackwood finished the game with 31 saves, including 11 in the first period.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday's game.

GUSH PUSH?: Who was the Sharks' top scorer in the preseason? Danil Gushchin.

Will it help him secure a spot on the Sharks' 23-man roster? Maybe not.

Gushchin assisted on goals from Kostin and Ferraro and finished the preseason with nine points in four games. His overall game has grown and his confidence is as high as ever.

But it appears to be a numbers game for Gushchin right now, as the Sharks already have Macklin Celebrini, Tyler Toffoli, William Eklund, Mikael Granlund, Will Smith, Fabian Zetterlund, Luke Kunin, Alexander Wennberg, Ty Dellandrea and Kostin as top-nine options . This does not include Barclay Goodrow, Nico Sturm, Givani Smith and Carl Gundstrom as other depth options.

However, Gushchin may have put himself in the lead when it comes to being the first player to be recalled by the Barracuda due to injury.

Defenseman Luca Cagnoni also had an eye-opening camp for the Sharks with four points in four games. But with Shakir Mukhamadullin potentially close to his return, the best place for the 19-year-old Cagnoni right now is the American League.

GOOD CLIMATE, BAD CLIMATE: The Sharks have experienced the back and forth of the giant Kostin throughout preseason, and that was the case again on Saturday.

In one sequence in the first period, after the Sharks had penetrated the Golden Knights' zone, Kostin received a pass from linemate Danil Gushchin and fired past goaltender Adin Hill at 9:03. The goal was Kostin's third of the preseason, the most among any Sharks player, and he gave the much smaller Gushchin a big hug after the goal.

But after 16:57 minutes of the first period, Kostin received a foul holding penalty in the Sharks zone when he wrapped his arms around Jack Eichel. Kostin also received a hooking penalty in the third period. Vegas didn't score on either power play.

It doesn't look like Kostin is in danger of losing his spot on the team and being placed on waivers before the Sharks have to finalize their roster on Monday morning. Still, Kostin needs to become more consistent from one rotation to the next and from one game to the next if he wants to stay in the lineup.

It's still strange: The Sharks and their fans may still be getting used to seeing Tomas Hertl in a Golden Knights uniform. But the things Hertl excels at — winning faceoffs and wall battles and retaining pucks — remain all too familiar.

Hertl, who spent the first 10-plus seasons of his NHL career with San Jose before joining the Golden Knights in March, played his first game against his former team on Saturday. He assisted on a Pavel Dorofeyev goal in the first period and had won seven of nine faceoffs in 40 minutes. He also assisted on both of Las Vegas' third-period appearances

The Sharks are clearly pleased with the centermen they brought in this offseason, including Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Alexander Wennberg and Barclay Goodrow.

But it might be a while before they have a center who possesses all of the qualities that Hertl has and that he will bring to the Golden Knights in the next few years. Maybe Filip Bystedt, similarly tall, 1.90 meters tall and weighing 100 kilograms, can develop into something similar.

Originally published: October 5, 2024 at 9:49 p.m