LAS VEGAS _ Logan Couture scored with 1:40 left in overtime to lift the San Jose Sharks to one of its biggest wins this season, as they beat the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 at T-Mobile Arena,
Couture scored on a breakaway after a pass from Marc-Edouard Vlasic. His first shot was stopped, but he followed it up and the puck trickled behind Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.
Goalie Aaron Dell made 37 saves for the Sharks, including four in overtime. Fleury made five saves in overtime.
Leading 1-0, the Sharks gave up the game-tying goal at the 9:42 mark of the third period, as Brayden McNabb's shot from the perimeter got past Dell for his second goal of the season.
For two periods, Dell stayed calm and cool in the Sharks net Thursday even as he fended off one scoring chance after another by the Golden Knights.
Timo Meier, too, didn't lose his composure after it was ruled he had interfered with Fleury, nullifying a first period goal.
Their efforts would be crucial in the early going, as Dell had 28 saves after two periods and Meier scored at the 1:26 mark of the second period.
Meier's goal came on a terrific individual effort, as he staved off a check from Vegas defenseman Nate Schmidt and backhanded a shot past Fleury with one hand on his stick just before he crashed into the net.
Defenseman Radim Simek and forward Melker Karlsson left the game in the third period for unknown reasons.
Dell, in his first start since Nov. 2, had four saves on the penalty kill in the first 40 minutes as the Golden Knights were unable to cash in on two power play opportunities.
The Sharks were facing the Golden Knights for the first time since they were blown out twice to start the regular season, Vegas won the first meeting 4-1 at home on Oct. 2 and topped the Sharks 5-1 at SAP Center two days later.
Dell made 14 saves in the first period as the Sharks kept the Golden Knights off the scoreboard. It was the first time Vegas had been held without a first period goal at home against the Sharks in five regular season meetings.
The Sharks thought they had taken a 1-0 lead at the 13:52 mark of the first period, as Antti Suomela redirected a shot from Brenden Dillon into the Golden Knights' net.
After a Vegas challenge, though, it was determined that Meier impaired Fleury's ability to play his position in the crease before the shot entering the net. Meier had skated near the crease, perhaps with help from Golden Knights defenseman Jon Merrill, and made contact with Fleury, spinning him sideways.
Meier's goal was his fourth in eight games and gave him six for the season. The Sharks won six straight games from Nov. 5-16 but were coming off a 5-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.
The Sharks played without Tomas Hertl, missed the game with a lower body injury he suffered in the final two minutes of Tuesday's game. The injury is not deemed to be serious as Hertl is considered day-to-day.
As a result, Barclay Goodrow centered the Sharks' second line with Patrick Marleau and Meier on the wings and Antti Suomela centered the fourth line. The Sharks' top line with Logan Couture, Evander Kane and Kevin Labanc stayed intact. The third line has Joe Thornton playing with Marcus Sorensen and Melker Karlsson.
Instead of dressing Lukas Radil, the Sharks' only other available forward, Sharks coach Pete DeBoer dressed seven defensemen and 11 forwards, as both Mario Ferraro and Tim Heed were in the lineup.
