Marchessault says call on Eakin's 5-minute major was a 'f--king joke'

Warning: Story contains coarse language.

Vegas Golden Knights center Cody Eakin was penalized five minutes for cross-checking the Sharks' Joe Pavelski in the third period of Game 7 on Tuesday, sparking an unbelievable turn of events.

Eakin was ejected at the 9:13 mark of the final frame with the Vegas Golden Knights holding a 3-0 lead. The San Jose Sharks scored four goals during the power play to jump ahead 4-3. Jonathan Marchessault then tied the game for Vegas with 47 seconds left before the Sharks won in overtime, with Barclay Goodrow scoring the series-clinching goal.

Here's the play when Eakin was ejected:

Here's a closer look:

After the game, Marchessault voiced his disgust with the call.

"It's a fucking joke. It's embarrassing," he said, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger. "That's what it is. It changed the entire outcome of the game, and the season."

Don Van Massenhoven, the supervising official for the series, offered the following explanation for the ejection.

"The referees called a cross-checking penalty for an infraction that caused a significant injury," said Van Massenhoven, according to Granger. "In their judgement, the infraction and its result merited a major penalty."

Pavelski laid motionless on the ice momentarily with blood dripping from his head. The Sharks captain was then helped to the dressing room and didn't return.

Golden Knights head coach Gerard Gallant also struggled to accept the way his team was bounced in Round 1.

"Last season we lost in the Stanley Cup Final, and that was hard," he told Granger. "But tonight, this is worse."

The Sharks, a team that overcame a 3-1 series deficit to defeat Vegas, will play the Colorado Avalanche in Round 2.