SAN JOSE – The next meeting between the San Jose Sharks and the Vegas Golden Knights this season would have to be in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Sharks would be OK with that because it would mean their first postseason appearance since 2019. The Golden Knights wouldn’t mind it either, simply because they absolutely own the Sharks.
The Sharks trailed by one after the first period and allowed three straight goals in the second in what became a 7-2 loss to the Golden Knights before an announced sellout crowd of 17,435 at SAP Center.
Trailing 2-1 after the first period, the Sharks allowed goals to Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl, and Zach Whitecloud in a span of 8:06 as the Golden Knights rolled to their 11th straight win over San Jose since the start of the 2023-24 season.
The Sharks also lost 7-2 to the Golden Knights on Dec. 23 and were outscored 22-10 in the four-game season series.
“They’re a very disciplined team,” said Sharks defenseman John Klingberg, who was activated off injured reserve earlier Sunday after missing four games with a lower-body malady. “They’ve been playing together for a while, great on the special teams as well. They make you pay if you make mistakes.”
The Sharks had earned comeback victories over the Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars earlier in the week, but couldn’t muster a similar response against the Golden Knights as their three-game win streak came to an end.
A day after going 4-for-6 on the power play in their 5-4 overtime win over the Stars, the Sharks were 0-for-5 with the man advantage against the Golden Knights. San Jose also killed just two of four penalties.
“We just didn’t have that attack mindset to bring pucks to the net,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of the power play.
“(Vegas has) everything you really want on a power play. They have an elite guy on the half-wall in Eichel. They’ve a big guy in (Mark) Stone as a righty, then they have (Hertl) in the middle as a lefty. Then they get a one-timer (from Eichel) in the flank, and then you get Mitch Marner on top, and that’s without (Shea) Theodore. So there are dangerous weapons at all five spots.”
Vegas Golden Knights’ Noah Hanifin (15) commits a penalty against San Jose Sharks’ William Eklund (72) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) stops a shot against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) controls the puck against Vegas Golden Knights’ Jeremy Lauzon (5) in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Mario Ferraro (38) is injured during their game against the Vegas Golden Knights in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) tries to get to the puck against Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carl Lindbom (30) and Vegas Golden Knights’ Zach Whitecloud (2) in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Vegas Golden Knights’ Tomas Hertl (48) high-fives the bench after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks late in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) defends against Vegas Golden Knights’ Tomas Hertl (48) in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Vegas Golden Knights’ Tomas Hertl (48) celebrates his goal with Vegas Golden Knights’ Mark Stone (61) against the San Jose Sharks in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) blocks a shot against Vegas Golden Knights’ Jack Eichel (9) in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
The San Jose Sharks, including San Jose Sharks’ Vincent Iorio (22) and San Jose Sharks’ William Eklund (72) head off the ice following their 7-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) and San Jose Sharks’ William Eklund (72) skate on the ice after the Vegas Golden Knights scored an empty net goal in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
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Vegas Golden Knights’ Noah Hanifin (15) commits a penalty against San Jose Sharks’ William Eklund (72) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Forwards Collin Graf and Alex Wennberg both scored even-strength goals for the Sharks (23-19-3), and goalie Yaroslav Askarov finished with 26 saves.
Eichel and Pavel Dorofeyev scored in the first period for the Golden Knights, who have now won four straight after a five-game losing streak.
“Obviously, special teams made a big difference today, but if we stick to our game plan and our identity, if we skate and get pucks in deep and forecheck, I feel like we get rewarded,” Wennberg said. “Today, we kind of faded away from it a little bit. Felt like we tried to make plays. We tried to make that extra (pass) and, sometimes, you’ve just got to put the puck on net and find a rebound or something.”
Center Macklin Celebrini was held off the scoresheet Sunday as his point streak, which lasted 13 games, came to an end. The last time Celebrini was held without a point in a game was on Dec. 9 when the Sharks lost 4-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers.
During his 13-game streak, which was tied for the second-longest in Sharks history, Celebrini had nine goals and 18 assists.
Sharks rookie center Michael Misa played his first NHL game since Nov. 1, was credited with one blocked shot, and won four of nine faceoffs in 11:43 of ice time. He initially was credited with an assist on Graf’s first-period goal, but that was later taken away.
Misa suffered an ankle injury on Nov. 5 and didn’t play another game for a month before he began a two-game conditioning assignment with the Barracuda of the AHL. After that, he joined Team Canada for the World Junior Championship and just returned to San Jose last Tuesday.
“I thought I came out with speed, just defensively, some things I need to clean up, getting back to this level,” Misa said. “But I thought I was moving my feet well, and I’ve got to continue to do that.”
Beginning with a shocking 4-3 overtime loss on Oct. 9, San Jose went 0-3-1 in its season series with Vegas. Last season, the Sharks were 0-3-0 against the Golden Knights, and in 2023-24, they went 0-3-1 vs. their once-fierce rival.
San Jose Sharks’ Michael Misa (77) passes the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose’s last victory over Vegas came on March 30, 2023, when Logan Couture scored in overtime to give the Sharks a 4-3 win.
The Sharks enter Monday in third place in the Pacific Division with 49 points, five points back of the first-place Golden Knights, and one point ahead of the Seattle Kraken, Kings, and Utah Mammoth. They begin a four-game road trip against Eastern Conference teams, starting with Thursday’s game in Washington against the Capitals.