The Sharks return home and get back in the win column in a massive way, overcoming a late comeback attempt by the Utah Mammoth for a 3-2 overtime victory.
The Sharks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period on two goals from Macklin Celebrini for 12 goals on the season. Will Smith and Philipp Kurashev assisted on Macklin's first goal of the game, while Collin Graf assisted on Macklin's second goal of the game.
The Mammoth found the scoreboard via JJ Peterka in the third period. Utah nearly tied it at two later in the third period via John Marino, but it was disallowed after Dylan Guenther tripped Yaroslav Askarov from behind in the crease prior to the puck finding the back of the net. With just under three minutes left in regulation, JJ Peterka scored his second goal of the game to tie the game at two for the Mammoth. This would force overtime, where the Sharks would claim the win on a power play goal by Macklin Celebrini for his third goal of the game and second hat trick of the season, bringing his total to 13 goals and 30 points on the campaign. William Eklund and Will Smith earned the assists on Celebrini’s OT game-winner.
Yaroslav Askarov is back in net for the Sharks tonight and remained phenomenal, compiling 24 saves on 26 shots against. In addition, John Klingberg and Timothy Liljegren were benched tonight after their recent struggles on the Sharks blue line. Jeff Skinner is currently week-to-week and will be out for at least two weeks, while Michael Misa's timeline to return from his injury has been pushed further back than that of Skinner's.
The Sharks just needed Macklin Celebrini and Yaroslav Askarov to return to mid-season form in order to not just get back in the win column, but earn this statement victory over the Mammoth. Not only does Macklin Celebrini climb back into the NHL points leaderboard, but he becomes the first player in Sharks franchise history to record 30 points in the first 20 games of a season. This huge homestand-opening win would not have been possible without Celebrini and Askarov carrying the Sharks on their backs. Overall, this all-time legendary performance from Macklin Celebrini was absolutely amazing to watch. I also enjoy how the Sharks now award their player of the game in the clubhouse with a large shark-tooth necklace instead of awarding random objects to their best performer after a win.
Next up, the Sharks host the Los Angeles Kings in their second Heritage 2.0 + Alumni night of the season on Thursday at 7 pm PT, which will be televised exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu.
Sources: NBC Sports California, NHL App
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