Recalling the most exciting playoff win in Sharks history

There are no playoffs this year for the San Jose Sharks, but today is the anniversary of some postseason magic for Team Teal. Five years ago today, the Sharks skated into SAP Center and pulled off one of the most amazing and miraculous wins in playoff history. That’s right, we’re talking about the overtime victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.

Fear the Fin was here with you for that game. Former editor Sie Morely live-blogged the game as it happened and woke up her neighborhood when Barclay Goodrow scored that game-winner in overtime.

“Barclay Goodrow? BARCLAY GOODROW. I JUST WOKE UP EVERY SINGLE NEIGHBOR IN MY BUILDING AND I’M NOT SORRY,” wrote Morely.

The overtime would not have happened if the Sharks had not come back from a 3-0 deficit in the third period and scored four goals.

Here’s a link to the video because you can never watch it too many times.

It’s hard to believe that the Kevin Labanc of five years ago had four points in that game. He assisted on three goals and then added the fourth goal with a bullet of a shot.

It also marked the return of Logan Couture and his playoff dominance. It was Couture who looked at the bench after the first goal and famously said, “That’s one.” He was an integral part of that Game 7 comeback.

And it was Goodrow’s overtime goal that helped convince the Tampa Bay Lightning that he was worth the first-round draft pick that the team traded for him at the next trade deadline. Honestly, given the fact that the Lightning went on to win two Stanley Cups with Goodrow in the lineup, they weren’t wrong.

Postgame, even our friends at Knights on Ice admitted that Vegas missed golden opportunities to lock up the series.

Basking in the thrill of victory

Personally, I was at that game, and I remember sitting there when it was 3-0 in favor of Vegas and thinking to myself, “God, we can’t lose to these assholes again.” But you stick it out because that’s what fans do. The shock of seeing Pavelski lying there on the ice during the third period was something else. You could feel the tension in the building on the ensuing power play. The frustration of the fans because of the play and the injury. The anger that it had happened.

I don’t really recall that first goal being super impactful. It was exciting but the Sharks were still down 3-1 to a good team. That second goal, though, that one was magical. The speed with which the Sharks scored two and you could practically feel the tide turning. You could feel like something magical was going to happen.

The third goal was amazing. The fourth, well, fans blew the roof off the building. It was electric. That, in and of itself, would have been one of the best hockey games I had ever attended, but Goodrow’s overtime goal sealed it for me. I was sapped of energy when I walked out of the building much later than intended, but it was the good kind of tired.

The next day or two allowed Sharks fans, including me, to enjoy reliving the comeback from a 3-1 series deficit to end the Golden Knights’ playoff dreams. It was another chapter in the Pacific Division rivalry and perhaps the best one to date if you’re a Sharks fan.

The win led then Fear the Fin writer Sheng Peng to ask, “Was this the greatest first-round series in NHL history?” Peng broke down the five minutes of insane Sharks hockey in this post here.

Sharks fans spent a day watching the game recap over and over again before they looked forward to the next series with the Colorado Avalanche. Spoiler alert: The Sharks won that series too.

So what do you remember from that series five years ago? Share your memories from that game below.