Mason Morelli marked his NHL debut with a goal and an assist, Logan Thompson recorded his fourth career shutout, and the Vegas Golden Knights swept the season against the San Jose Sharks with a commanding 4-0 victory on Monday.
“It’s a pretty special moment,” Morelli said. “It’s hard to put into words. It’s an excellent group of guys that were very welcoming, and they made it easy on me, and they made some really good plays.”
The 28-year-old Morelli, who spent six years in the ECHL and AHL before his NHL call-up, made an immediate impact. He redirected a pass from Alex Pietrangelo late in the first period, giving Vegas a 3-0 lead. He later added a secondary assist on Keegan Kolesar’s goal late in the second period.
“I told him he should have fought somebody,” coach Bruce Cassidy joked. “That would have been a story, a Gordie Howe hat trick in your first NHL game. But that’s easier said than done in today’s game. I thought he played really well.”
Michael Amadio and William Karlsson scored less than two minutes apart early in the first period to help the Golden Knights snap a two-game skid. Alec Martinez contributed three assists.
Thompson made 29 saves, earning his first shutout since Oct. 28, 2022, against Anaheim.
San Jose blanked for a league-high ninth time this season, tied a franchise record for most shutouts in a season, last set in 2021-22. Mackenzie Blackwood made 22 saves for the Sharks.
Vegas improved to 19-1-3 against San Jose since losing a first-round playoff series in 2019, as what was once a fierce rivalry has become decidedly one-sided.
The Sharks started strong, hitting two posts in the first 90 seconds, but quickly fell into a hole they couldn’t escape. Zach Whitecloud hit Amadio with a stretch pass for a breakaway, making it 1-0 just 2:28 into the game.
“We started out great. We’re ready to play,” coach David Quinn said. “For the first 2 1/2 minutes, we were buzzing. Crossbars. Chances. Then we gave up like our 38th breakaway in three games. It’s just inexcusable. It can’t happen.”
Karlsson scored 1:57 later on a rebound from close range, and Vegas was never really threatened as they completed a four-game sweep against San Jose.
“We had a tough first shift or a couple,” Cassidy said. “We got lucky. They hit a couple of posts. Logan made some good saves. It could have given them a lot of life. I think we can still play through that stuff, but getting a quick hitter breakaway goal was probably demoralizing.”
San Jose scratched forward Alexander Barabanov after a poor backcheck led to a game-winning goal for Columbus in the closing seconds of Saturday’s game. Defenseman Henry Thrun returned to the lineup after being activated from injured reserve.
UP NEXT
- Golden Knights: Host Nashville on Tuesday night.
- Sharks: Host Nashville on Saturday night.
