Unbelievable Ending: Nedeljkovic’s Wild Sequence Costs Sharks in OT

If the NHL handed out awards for bizarre endings, Thursday night’s Sharks–Golden Knights finish would win hands down. In one of the strangest back-to-back sequences you’ll ever see, San Jose goalie Alex Nedeljkovic was at the center of both goals that turned a sure win into a stunning 4–3 overtime loss.

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With the Sharks leading 3–2 in the final two minutes, the Sharks were on the verge of scoring when the Golden Knights pulled their goaltender. At least two chances were almost converted to send the Sharks home with a win in their home opener. Two great plays by the Golden Knights allowed Jack Eichel to pick up the puck, and he floated in what looked like a harmless dump-in from center ice. The puck took an unexpected bounce and hopped past Nedeljkovic, tying the game at 3–3.

“I just got caught in between—whether to go out and catch it or stay back,” the goalie admitted. “Usually when you’re in between at this level, bad things happen.”

It was a strange sequence that was only out-stranged by what happened in overtime.

Just 1:24 into the extra frame, Nedeljkovic ventured out of his crease to play the puck at the blue line—an all-or-nothing gamble. His pass was blocked by Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore, who fed Reilly Smith for the easiest goal of his career into an empty net. Two odd plays, two easy goals for Vegas that earned them a win.

The sequence left fans in disbelief, instantly going viral as one of the most surreal collapses in recent memory. What could’ve been a momentum-building home opener win instead became another painful chapter for San Jose, who’ve now dropped 12 straight to Vegas since 2021.

For Nedeljkovic, who otherwise had a solid game, it was a night he’ll want to erase from his memory: two goals against, neither resembling anything from the coaching manual, both destined for every blooper reel of the season.

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