Joonas Donskoi had scored eight game-winning goals at SAP Center before Sunday, including the overtime winner in the Sharks' first-ever Stanley Cup Final victory in 2016.
He scored his ninth wearing a color other than teal Sunday, clinching the Colorado Avalanche's 4-3 win over the Sharks in his first visit to San Jose since signing a four-year contract with the Avs on the first day of free agency. Donskoi also received a video tribute and an ovation during the first period.
"It was weird," Donskoi told reporters in the visiting locker room after the game.