Golden Knights get their first win in bizarre fashion against the San Jose Sharks

Much has been made about the San Jose Sharks heading into the 2025-26 season. They're young, hungry, and want to bring a Stanley Cup to the Bay Area. All of this sounds good until you realize that the Vegas Golden Knights faced them on Thursday.

Mind you, this is the same Golden Knights team that lost a heart-breaker to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. Losing in a shootout, 6-5, would leave anybody in a foul mood. So what did Vegas do in response?

By the will of the Hockey Gods, they won in overtime, 4-3. Hallelujah. It was like Angels in the Outfield, where angels guided Jack Eichel and Reilly Smith to the net. In fact, the last two goals were some of the most bizarre plays you'll ever see. First came the Sharks, trying to ice the game when Jack Eichel did this.

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

Alex Nedeljkovic misplayed the puck in overtime and proceeded to give Steve Dangle an anerysum in the process. That led to Reilly Smith putting the game away for Vegas's first win.

Lo and behold, the Golden Knights still haven't lost in regulation against the Sharks and they get their first win! Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good.

But let's look at what went right and what went wrong tonight. Who stood out for the Golden Knights in the 4-3 overtime victory? Who needs to improve their game to avoid further embarassment?

What the Vegas Golden Knights did well against the San Jose Sharks

First, they got a first-period goal! It felt like 84 years since the last first-period goal on May 10. However, Brett Howden broke the ice for the Golden Knights (waka waka) in the first period. For all the noise made about the offense's ineptitude in the opening period, simply getting one goal helps Vegas build confidence.

Also, the power play continues to be solid. They created fluid scoring opportunities with excellent passing, especially in the second period. Of course, they found their main guy, Pavel Dorofeyev, for the second game-tying goal, where he sniped one past Alex Nedeljkovic.

Speaking of which, did you know that the Russian winger already has four goals? His quick shot and accuracy continue to be a boon for the Golden Knights, making them lethal on the power play. Soon, Dorofeyev could also fetch a payday like Eichel, only it wouldn't take too much of the salary cap.

What the Vegas Golden Knights must improve

When you're facing off against a weaker team like the San Jose Sharks, getting off to a fast start is paramount. That way, you can set yourself nicely for the remaining periods and give your goaltender some comfort.

Unfortunately, that's not what happened in the first period. A deflection off Zach Whitecloud set up a goal for Jeff Skinner, putting the Sharks up, 1-0.

That can't happen for the Golden Knights, especially if you have aspirations to win the Stanley Cup. You must clean up your play in the defensive zone and control all pucks heading your way. Otherwise, opponents will feast on your mistakes all night.

Overall, the defensive play must be cleaned up. That means no more defensive zone turnovers and being more careful with the puck. That goes back to the first goal, where Schmid had no chance off the deflection. The Golden Knights need to be better at cleaning up their play in the defensive end before other teams strike.

Finally, three second-period penalties is unacceptable. Normally, the Golden Knights are a composed team regarding their discipline. However, they got themselves into a five-on-three, which gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead. If Vegas wants to win the Stanley Cup, they must go back to playing disciplined hockey.