Sharks shut out again, allow first NHL goal to yet another player

The San Jose Sharks were unable to recover after allowing three goals in the first period

SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks fell behind by three goals after the first period and were unable to mount anything in response Monday in a 4-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center.

The Sharks gave up even-strength goals to Michael Amadio and William Karlsson in the opening 4:25 of the first period as the Golden Knights took a 2-0 lead.

Then forward Mason Morelli, making his NHL debut, scored a power-play goal with just 49 seconds left before intermission, tipping a pass from Alex Pietrangelo past Sharks goalie Mackenzie Blackwood on a Golden Knights power play.

The 28-year-old Morelli, who went undrafted and played for four years at Nebraska-Omaha before he turned pro in 2015, then assisted on Keegan Kolesar’s second-period goal, as Vegas took a 4-0 lead.

Morelli became the 124th player to score their first NHL goal against the Sharks, who entered the league in 1991. Two other Golden Knights players also have that distinction: Cody Glass on Oct. 2, 2019, and Brayden Pachal at the start of this season on Oct. 12.

“It’s a pretty special moment,” Morelli told reporters. “It’s kind of hard to put into words. It’s a really good group of guys that were very welcoming and they made it easy on me and they made some really good plays.”

Blackwood made 22 saves as the Sharks were shut out for ta league-high ninth time this season, including the second time in four games as they dropped to 1-3-0 without injured centers Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture.

Goalie Logan Thompson made 29 saves for his first shutout of the season and the fourth of his NHL career, as Vegas swept the four-game season series.

“I know it was a 4-0 loss, but I thought we were working really hard,” Sharks forward Kevin Labanc said. “We just didn’t get the right bounces, and that was a good goalie we were shooting on this afternoon.

“You just put your head down and stick with it and don’t let this loss rub you the wrong way, because I think you can take a lot of good from this game as well.”

The Sharks and the Golden Knights used to have one of the fiercest rivalries in the NHL, following heated and memorable playoff meetings in 2017 and 2018.

But since the start of the 2019-2020 season, San Jose is now just 4-16-3 against Vegas, which captured its first Stanley Cup last year in their sixth season of existence. In the last five seasons, Vegas has 10 of 11 meetings with the Sharks in San Jose.

The Sharks’ five-game homestand continues with games against the Nashville Predators on Saturday, Timo Meier and the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 27, and the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 29.