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Final
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@8:05 PM UTC
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Why the Sharks needed emotional, hard-fought win over Golden Knights

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SAN JOSE – The rumble between the Sharks and the Golden Knights on Saturday night could be a called a couple different things. Evander Kane called it “hard-fought.” Coach Peter DeBoer called it a “real war down on the ice for space.” Tomas Hertl simply called it a “huge win.”

However you want to characterize it yourself, Team Teal snapped their seven-game losing skid and secured home ice for Round 1 of the playoffs with a 4-3 overtime win. Getting the win over the rival Vegas squad, who San Jose will face when the playoffs begin in a couple weeks, was exactly what the Sharks needed to turn themselves around.

“We needed an emotional game,” DeBoer admitted. “We knew this is a team we’re going to see in the playoffs. We know the history with them, that they make you play the right way in a physical game.”

He wasn’t kidding. Saturday’s game was as physical as they come. Both teams registered 40 hits apiece with Timo Meier, not a player you typically think of laying the big hits on opponents, leading all skaters with 10. (Kane, known more for his physical play, registered nine hits.) There were also a few good scraps, with younger players like Kevin Labanc and Marcus Sorensen getting into the mix to stick up for their teammates. 

“It’s fun to watch everybody take care of each other, help in the situation,” Hertl said when discussing how so many players stepped up against the rough-and-tumble Vegas team.

The contest was made even more intense by the fact both teams were looking to stop losing streaks. Unlike the more opportunistic teams the Sharks faced over the course of their seven-game skid, the Golden Knights entered the game as a playoff-bound team coming off their fourth straight loss. Add to that the Sharks’ potential to clinch home ice in the playoffs with a victory, and the stakes became much higher.

“It was an important game for both teams,” Kane said. “Both teams wanted to get back into the win column tonight, haven’t been playing our best hockey. Every time we play these guys it’s always a hard-fought game and you definitely feel the intensity out there.”

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Even with a game as physical and contentious as Saturday’s, San Jose managed to not let their opponent get them too rattled. In fact, it was the Golden Knights who made the late game slip up and were put back on the penalty kill with 55 seconds left in regulation, setting the Sharks up to be on the power play when overtime started.

“I think we got a little bit under their skin,” Hertl observed. “That’s why they (took) the last-minute penalty and we finish it in overtime.”

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After Brent Burns’ game-winning goal in OT, Saturday’s victory probably gave the illusion that San Jose is now completely back on track and ready to host Vegas in Round 1. But DeBoer cautioned that there is still work to be done before the regular season concludes.

“I don’t know if we’re ready, we’ve got some pretty good players out injured,” he admitted. “But if we can get healthy, I think we know our game. I know we lost seven, but we played a lot of good hockey this year. I think we’re confident in our game.”
 

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