Sharks beat Vegas in double OT, Bruins crush Lightning

Los Angeles (AFP) – Logan Couture scored his second goal 5:13 into double overtime to lift the San Jose Sharks to a 4-3 win over the expansion Vegas Golden Knights in game two of their NHL playoff series.

Couture beat Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury with a wrist shot just inside the post to the upper part of the net as the Sharks levelled the best-of-seven Western Conference series at 1-1.

The series now switches to San Jose for game three on Monday night.

Brett Burns scored the first Sharks’ goal two minutes into the second period, which snapped Fleury’s marathon scoreless streak that included back-to-back shutouts. Fleury came into Saturday’s game with a superb .982 save percentage in the playoffs.

The Sharks lost game one on Thursday 7-0, matching their largest margin of defeat in the postseason in franchise history.

“We were better (game one) everywhere,” said Sharks coach Peter DeBoer.

Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault appeared have won it for the Golden Knights late in the first overtime but the goal was overturned after the video review officials determined Marchessault bumped Jones’ stick as he skated by the crease.

It was the first loss of the playoffs for the Golden Knights who were a perfect 5-0.

Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said his team “better be ready (game three) because we didn’t show up for 45 minutes.”

Elsewhere, Boston’s top scoring trio combined for 11 points and Tuukka Rask stopped 34 shots despite an equipment malfunction as the Boston Bruins kicked off their second round series with a 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Rick Nash also scored twice for the Bruins to help complement the explosive line of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand that carried the offense. Marchand had a goal and three assists, Pastrnak tallied four assists, and Bergeron delivered two goals and an assist as the Bruins took a 1-0 lead in the best of seven Eastern Conference series.

Rask was furious with the officials on Mikhail Sergachev’s goal because they didn’t blow the play dead when his left skate blade popped out of the holder moments earlier in a goal mouth scramble. 

Dan Girardi also scored for Tampa Bay, who are in the second round for the third time in four years.

Game two is Monday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa.