Special Guests in Attendance for Merkley's First Career NHL Goal

Nowadays, it seems like an NHL debut and first career goal go hand-in-hand.
At least when it comes to the San Jose Sharks that is.
With seven Sharks players missing from the lineup and in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol, defenseman Ryan Merkley was among a number of members of the San Jose Barracuda who were recalled by Team Teal to start its five-game homestand on October 30.
It did not take the 21st overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft long to make an impact, scoring his first career NHL goal just one game later against the Buffalo Sabres on November 2 at SAP Center.

"I was a little surprised and I was really excited - I didn't expect it to happen so soon," said Merkley. "In this second game, I felt more ready, more prepared. I like playing out here we've got some good players and they make it easy."

The play started when Merkley threw the puck behind the net to Alexander Barabanov. Barabanov returned the puck to Merkley at the blueline, as he found a shooting lane and sent it past Sabres goaltender Craig Anderson.

Merkley's mom and sisters had just arrived in San Jose and were in attendance for the special moment in his career.

The 21-year-old becomes the third Shark this season (Jasper Weatherby, Jonathan Dahlen) to have recorded their first goal in just nine games played.