San Jose remained competitive for much of its 2024-25 season opener and held a 4-1 lead through two periods of play, but a late third-period collapse resulted in the St. Louis Blues winning 5-4 in overtime.
The Sharks struck first at around the seven-minute mark of the first period, with Macklin Celebrini scoring his all-important first NHL goal, which was a spin-o-rama shot that deflected off of Blues defender Matt Kessel and into the net. William Eklund and Jake Walkman each registered assists on the Celebrini goal for their first points of the season and Walman’s first point as a Shark. Celebrini became the youngest player in Sharks history to score in his NHL debut and the first Sharks player to score in his NHL debut since Danil Gushchin on April 1, 2023. This initial lead didn’t last for long, as Pavel Buchnevich scored about two minutes later to even things up at one for the Blues. Later in the first period, Macklin Celebrini set up Tyler Toffoli to score his first goal as a Shark to give Team Teal a 2-1 lead heading into the second period, with Jan Rutta collecting the other assist on the Toffoli go-ahead goal. This made Celebrini the first NHL player with a multi-point performance in his big-league debut since Auston Matthews scored four goals in his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Ottawa Senators in 2016.
The Sharks extended their lead twice in the second period, first by Fabian Zetterlund on the power play with assists from Mikael Granlund and Tyler Toffoli, and followed by a shorthanded breakaway goal by Barclay Goodrow late in the middle frame to push the Sharks' lead to three. It all came crumbling down for San Jose in the third period, as the Blues mounted their comeback with three unanswered goals from Radek Faksa, Ryan Suter, and Justin Faulk to tie the game at four to force overtime. It only took 45 seconds into the bonus period for Brayden Schenn to score the game-winning goal to complete the Blues' comeback and end the season opener in disappointing fashion for the Sharks.
Mackenzie Blackwood received the starting nod in net for San Jose for the season opener, finishing his night with 35 saves on 40 shots against. On a side note, it was a somewhat pleasant surprise to see Danil Gushchin make the Sharks opening night roster out of training camp. Gushchin had a fantastic preseason to earn his spot on the Sharks roster to start the 2024-25 season, which is always great to see. In addition, the new center ice design for this season at SAP Center in San Jose looks absolutely incredible, and I consider it an upgrade over the the fin center ice design from last season.
The Sharks certainly had a greater competitive flair to begin the 2024-25 season, but their defense showed flashes of the past two seasons with its implosion in the third period to sacrifice the lead and drop the season opener in overtime. Luckily this is only the first game of the new season, so this Sharks squad has plenty of time to regroup and improve in all aspects of their game. Also, Macklin Celebrini is definitely something special and already a superstar in the making. Next up, the Sharks host the Anaheim Ducks in their second game of the 2024-25 regular season on Saturday at 7 pm PT.
Sources: Sharks Audio Network, San Jose Sharks & NHL PR, NHL App
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