Macklin Celebrini recorded a goal and two assists as the San Jose Sharks snapped their two-game skid with a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes Sunday night at the Lenovo Center.
Alex Wennberg also contributed a goal and an assist, while John Klingberg added a goal. Collin Graf chipped in a goal, and Alex Nedeljkovic made 29 saves to secure the victory.
Advertisement
For Carolina, Jordan Staal scored their lone goal, and Pyotr Kochetkov made 17 saves in the losing effort.
The Sharks struck almost instantly, taking a 1-0 lead just 33 seconds into the game. Celebrini set up Graff for a backdoor tap-in, giving San Jose an early jolt. The play originated when Jordan Martinook turned the puck over in his own zone, allowing Will Smith to seize possession and feed Celebrini, who wasted no time finding Graff for the finish.
Carolina’s Jesperi Kotkaniemi was sent to the penalty box at 6:15 for hooking Dmitry Orlov, putting San Jose on the power play, but the Sharks were unable to capitalize.
Advertisement
Later, with less than seven minutes remaining in the period, Celebrini was penalized for holding. The Canes took full advantage, tying the game when Eric Staal redirected a shot from Nedeljkovic past the Sharks’ netminder on the power play.
Nearly eight minutes into the second, Celebrini dazzled again, threading a perfect feed to Klingberg for a one-timer in the slot. The former Edmonton Oiler buried it, restoring San Jose’s lead.
Carolina’s Jackson Blake went to the box with 5:09 left for tripping Celebrini as he approached Kochetkov with a scoring chance. The Sharks made him pay: Wennberg slammed home a rebound from a William Eklund one-timer, extending the Sharks’ advantage to two goals.
Advertisement
Just over five minutes into the third, Jeff Skinner received a two-minute minor for cross-checking Alexander Nikishin into the boards. Despite the man advantage, Carolina failed to convert as the Sharks killed the penalty.
Later, Eklund carried the puck into the right circle on a 2-on-1 rush. He faked a pass and fired a shot, but Kochetkov wasn’t fooled, making the stop.
With 1:53 remaining, Kochetkov was pulled for the extra attacker. Jarvis tried to shovel a shot from the doorstep, but Nedeljkovic held firm amid a crowd of players.
Carolina’s efforts ultimately fell short. Nikolai Ehlers turned the puck over, which Celebrini recovered and quickly moved up the ice to Wennberg, who was tripped by Jarvis. While the officials initially raised their hands for a penalty, play continued, and Wennberg managed to pass to Celebrini while still on the ice. Celebrini calmly deposited the empty-netter with 1:20 left, sealing a 4-1 victory for the Sharks.
Advertisement
With a three-point night, Celebrini now has 43 points on the seasonm which is 2nd best in the NHL behind Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon, who has 49 points. With his two assists on the day, Celebrini is now in a first-place tie with Edmonton’s Connor McDavid with 28 assists on the year.
It’s safe to say, the 19-year-old is making a name for himself. Take a look at these stats.
Celebrini isn’t of legal drinking age in the United States and he’s already a legend in the making.
The Sharks (14-13-3) continue their road trip on Tuesday when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers (15-9-3) at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Coverage begins at 4 p.m. local time.
Image
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
