SAN JOSE – San Jose Sharks goalie Alex Nedeljkovic has endured some bad breaks before in his playing career.
What happened on Thursday will be especially hard to digest.
“Had tough nights, had bad goals go in like that before,” he said. “I don’t know if it happened kind of exactly like that.”
Two miscues by Nedeljkovic, one late in the third period and another in overtime, turned what had been a positive night for the Sharks into a shocking 4-3 loss to the rival Vegas Golden Knights before an announced sellout crowd at SAP Center.
The Sharks led 3-2 late in the third period and had an empty net in front of them with less than two minutes to go when William Eklund poked one shot attempt just wide and had another on a wraparound blocked by Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore. Just seconds later, a flip shot on net by Golden Knights center Jack Eichel bounced in front of Nedeljkovic and into the net to tie the game with 1:34 left in regulation time.
San Jose Sharks’ William Eklund (72) nearly makes a goal against Vegas Golden Knights’ Shea Theodore (27) in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Reilly Smith scored at the 1:24 mark of overtime off a puck-handling error by Nedeljkovic, as the Sharks lost a season opener for the fourth straight year.
As the puck was sent back into the Sharks’ zone, Nedeljkovic came way out of his net during 3-on-3 play and tried to pass it ahead. Instead, his pass bounced off Smith to Theodore, who fed Smith for his goal in a wide-open net.
“Just got caught in between on the third one, whether to go out and try to catch it in the air or let it bounce and hop. And usually when you’re in between at this level, bad things happen,” Nedeljkovic said. “So probably more of the same thing in overtime as well. Just wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do with it. Knew I had to do something. Again, caught in between and nothing good happened.”
Despite the unlikely ending, the Sharks can take some positives into Saturday’s home game against the Anaheim Ducks.
Newcomers Jeff Skinner and Philipp Kurashev both scored, and defensive additions John Klingberg, Dmitry Orlov, and Nick Leddy all logged at least 21 minutes of ice time, giving coach Ryan Warsofsky some more reliable veteran options to put over the boards than he had season.
The Sharks actually out-chanced the Golden Knights 9-6 in the third period, per Natural Stat Trick, as both teams had eight shots in the final 20 minutes.
unbelievable. Alex Nedeljkovic has had a nightmare finish. pic.twitter.com/RqACtJFNsA
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) October 10, 2025
“I liked our game,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “We were skating, playing with good structure for the most part. Obviously, a couple things we’ve got to clean up. But I liked our game, our guys competed. I liked a lot of the things we did.”
Philipp Kurashev put the Sharks ahead at the 2:59 mark of the third period.
With the Sharks pressuring inside the Golden Knights’ zone, defenseman Dmitry Orlov let a shot go from just inside the blue line that Kurashev was able to redirect past Vegas goalie Akira Schmid for a 3-2 San Jose lead.
Jeff Skinner scored a first-period goal at even strength, and Alexander Wennberg added a power-play goal during a two-man advantage in the second period.
Nedeljkovic, who was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in July, made 27 saves.
San Jose Sharks’ Jeff Skinner (53) fights for the puck against Vegas Golden Knights’ Zach Whitecloud (2) in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Klingberg assisted on Wennberg’s goal at the 6:59 mark of the second period, and formed the Sharks’ top defense pair with Leddy. Gaudette and Reaves, along with Barclay Goodrow, formed the fourth line.
After Saturday, the Sharks finish their homestand against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.
Originally Published: October 9, 2025 at 9:59 PM PDT