Sharks take advantage of breaks, defeat Golden Knights in Game 2

LAS VEGAS --They earned this. No doubt.
The San Jose Sharks got a goalie interference call in the first overtime Saturday, taking the would-be winner off the board for the Vegas Golden Knights and deflating a rocking T-Mobile Arena.

RELATED: [Complete Golden Knights vs. Sharks series coverage]
Then they got two power plays in the second overtime, and center Logan Couture scored on the second at 5:13, taking a sweet pass from forward Kevin Labanc and firing the puck from the left circle before goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury could slide across.
San Jose won 4-3
, tied the Western Conference Second Round 1-1 and gave Vegas its first defeat in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Game 3 of the best-of-7 series is at San Jose on Monday (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS).
But it's hard to argue the calls, and it's harder still to argue that the Sharks weren't the better team for most of the game. They were far better than they were in
their 7-0 loss in Game 1
. They outshot the Golden Knights, 47-29. They got them to take 11 penalties.
"Our compete level was better," Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. "Our details were better. They still played a good game. It came right down to the end a few plays, and it went our way."
When Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault backhanded the puck into the San Jose net 16:58 into the first overtime, the horn blew. The Golden Knights celebrated along with their fans.
But Sharks goaltender Martin Jones stayed near his net. His teammates didn't leave the ice.
"He doesn't really react after goals, and he was pretty upset after that one," Couture said. "So I was pretty confident it was going to get called back."

The NHL Situation Room in Toronto initiated a review under the terms of a coach's challenge for goaltender interference. Replays showed Marchessault had come from behind to Jones' right and clipped him on the blocker side, and had spun him out of position. The Situation Room determined
the contact prevented Jones from doing his job
.
No goal.
"It looked pretty clear to me," Jones said.
The Sharks came out strong in the second OT, drawing two stick fouls in the Vegas zone: high sticking on defenseman Shea Theodore and hooking on defenseman Jon Merrill.
"I think when you're creating offensive chances and you're forcing teams to play defensive hockey, that's when penalties happen, because they get tired and you wear them down in their D zone," Couture said.
The Sharks did that through the first two periods. They trailed 2-0 early in the second, meaning they had been outscored 9-0 through a little more than four periods in the series, but they were carrying the play.
After they drew a holding-the-stick call on forward David Perron, defenseman Brent Burns broke through on the power play at the 2:00 mark, taking a slap shot that deflected off the shaft of the stick of Golden Knights center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
Couture tied it 2-2 with a 4-on-4 goal at 11:08, beating Fleury with a one-timer from the slot. Burns put the Sharks ahead 3-2 with a 4-on-4 goal at 14:07, wrapping around the net before Fleury could recover. Vegas challenged for goaltender interference, but the goal counted because defenseman Colin Miller had pushed forward Timo Meier into Fleury.

Fleury had allowed three goals in five games. Now he had allowed three in one period.
"It was important we got to him," Pavelski said. "Once we did in that second, I think we gained a little confidence and we were able to get going a little bit."
The Golden Knights forced overtime when defenseman Nate Schmidt took a slap shot from the point that deflected off Sharks forward Melker Karlsson and eluded Jones at 13:28.
The first overtime could have gone either way. Fleury and Jones traded huge saves -- Fleury stopping forward Barclay Goodrow all alone after a turnover by Theodore, Fleury pokechecking the puck from Pavelski after defenseman Deryk Engelland fell, Jones stopping center Erik Haula, Fleury tapping the puck out of the air and catching it with his glove.
With 5:48 to go, Golden Knights forward James Neal hit the knob of Jones' stick. An inch either way and Vegas would have won.
"Oh, that was a tough one," Neal said. "I thought it was going in. I had a few chances, for sure. I wish I would have buried them. Would like to have it back maybe. That's bounces, you know."
That's hockey. The Golden Knights missed an opportunity here, with Sharks forward Evander Kane suspended for cross-checking Bellemare in the head in Game 1, with a 2-0 lead. They lost home-ice advantage and must respond to a loss for the first time in the playoffs -- a gut-wrenching loss too.
"A lot of emotions," Neal said. "It takes the wind out of your sails a little bit, I'd say."