Macklin Celebrini guides Sharks to another late win as playoff hopes resurface originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
A week ago, the vibes seemed pretty low in San Jose. On March 26, the Sharks lost 2-1 to the St. Louis Blues in overtime for their sixth consecutive defeat, seemingly all but knocking them out of the Western Conference playoff race.
But that slump seems like a distant memory after Wednesday’s victory. For the third game in a row, the Sharks scored a game-winning goal in the final 90 seconds of regulation, becoming the first NHL team to do so, per Sportradar.
Wednesday’s victory was the most dramatic of the trio. Macklin Celebrini equalized with 99 seconds to go before Alexander Wennberg delivered an improbable winner just over a minute later, giving San Jose a 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center.
On Monday night, Celebrini crossed the 100-point threshold with two goals and an assist in a 5-4 win over the Blues. Two nights later, the 19-year-old — who is building a very good case for the Hart Trophy — factored into all four Sharks goals against the Pacific Division-leading Ducks. After having only two points during San Jose’s six-game skid, he now has nine points in three wins since.
Yet, when interviewed shortly after on the NHL on TNT postgame show, the teenage phenom still remained cool as a cucumber, almost oblivious to another absurd performance he had given.
“Yeah, I mean, still living off that emotion, pretty high there,” Celebrini said. “I think we just stayed patient, didn’t give up much in that third, and, I mean, we buried it when it counted.”
Of course, to anyone who has watched the Sharks this season, the concept of Celebrini being very good isn’t exactly new. But the magnitude of his talent is becoming more and more remarkable to anyone and everyone, even a 16-year NHL veteran teammate in Ryan Reaves.
After being dragged him into Celebrini’s postgame interview with TNT, Reaves had a blunt assessment on playing alongside the budding superstar.
“It’s like watching a god on ice,” Reaves remarked. “It’s fun to watch. It’s crazy the stuff he can do at 19. I’ll be honest, though, half of my interviews this year has been about him, so it’s kind of starting to wear me out a little bit.”
However, if Celebrini can carry San Jose to an unlikely spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Reaves likely will be asked plenty more questions about his extraordinary teammate, who just happens to be 20 years his junior.
Reaves also doesn’t appear to be the only Sharks player inspired by Celebrini. Three consecutive wins — each coming from behind — show a growing level of belief and grit that extends beyond their fresh-faced centerpiece.
NHL on TNT analyst Brian Boucher asked Celebrini if Wednesday’s win could be a “galvanizing moment” for Team Teal, which now sits just one point out of a wild-card spot, with at least one game in hand over almost everyone else around them.
“It shows our confidence in our group and the way we believe in each other,” Celebrini explained. “We’re never going to quit. Who knows what’s going to happen, but we’re going to keep playing hard, take it game by game. It’s cliché, but that’s the way we’re going to approach it and hopefully, just to keep taking strides.”
The Sharks had an easy opportunity to quit during their recent losing streak. But, as Celebrini stated, that’s not in this team’s DNA; the way San Jose has won its last three games is perfect proof of that mentality.
