San Jose Sharks suffer shutout loss at home to the Vegas Golden Knights
By Conor Power
A hard-fought performance from the San Jose Sharks saw them remain locked off the scoresheet. Unable to beat Logan Thompson in the Vegas Golden Knights net, the Sharks fall 4-0 to the second most recent addition to the league. It's concerning how frequently the offence gets shutout and how easy it is to shut this team down. They've been unable to score again.
After the San Jose Sharks hit both goal posts, the Vegas Golden Knights would take the lead. A pass over the top of the Sharks defense pairing allowed Michael Amadio in alone and Mackenzie Blackwood couldn't bail out the Fins. It was a 1-0 lead for the Knights as Amadio scores his eigth of the year with the Knights first shot on target. It's a sucker punch to the gut and the team in teal deserved better after that good start.
Vegas would start to build momentum on the back of that goal. A swarming shift from Vegas means that a shot from Alec Martinez is bouncing around out in front. Blackwood stops the initial shot, but the rebound sat there and after three of four attempts at it, William Karlsson was able to despoit it home for his 30th career point in 36 games against the Sharks. A difficult start to the game five minutes in after two posts early. That's just how fine the margins are in this sport.
The Golden Knights would get a feel good story too. On the Golden Knights powerplay, Alex Pietrangelo would find a way to get the puck to Mason Morelli in the slot. Morelli, who was playing in his first NHL game at the age of 28 after bouncing around the minors for a decade, tipped it home. His entire family was in the building to see it, and it's a great story. Even if it comes against the Sharks, you have to feel good about this.
Vegas would make it 4-0 before the end of the second period. Morelli would get his second point of the game when he dished it back to Alec Martinez. Martinez sent the puck across the ice to the other side of the crease for Keegan Kolesar. He was able to get the puck home passed Mackenzie Blackwood. It was now a long way back for the Sharks if they were going to try and get back tonight. It was another shutout loss.