SAN JOSE -- The Sharks dug a three-goal hole just 6:11 into Game 2 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series, only to erase the deficit with time winding down in the first period, thanks to a three-goal flurry of their own.
The first sign the fans at SAP Center were in for a whirlwind first period came just 58 seconds into the contest. Golden Knights forward Cody Eakin gave his team a 1-0 lead, capitalizing off a forecheck he started.
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Vegas defenseman Colin Miller played his way out of coach Gerard Gallant's doghouse just under four minutes later. After serving a slashing penalty, Miller zipped out of the penalty box to intercept an errant Erik Karlsson pass and double Vegas' lead with a short-handed goal.
Not even two minutes later, Paul Stastny forced a turnover from Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Linemate Max Pacioretty took the loose puck and beat San Jose goaltender Martin Jones on the last shot he would face in the first period.
Six minutes and 11 seconds into the game, Jones gave way for backup Aaron Dell.
Slowly, the Sharks began to turn the tide. Timo Meier hit a post, while Joe Pavelski and Gustav Nyquist couldn't finish their chances in the slot.
Pavelski got on the scoresheet, though, assisting Logan Couture on the Sharks' first goal of the evening.
The Sharks trailed 3-1, thanks in large part to Karlsson's zone entry. Forty-nine seconds later, the two-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman assisted Tomas Hertl's power-play goal ... on another penalty Miller took.
With less than a minute remaining, the comeback was complete. Veteran center Joe Thornton redirected Brenden Dillon's shot-pass off of the crossbar and past Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to tie the game 3-3.
Three goals against the Sharks, then three goals for, all in a span of fewer than 20 minutes. In other words, the first period had pretty much everything -- including a history-making stretch for San Jose.
While Sharks (and Golden Knights) fans were catching their breath at the start of the second, San Jose had a go-ahead goal waved off for goalie interference. Then, Vegas scored on the ensuing power play.
Dear reader, did you get all that? Something about playoff hockey in April.