I attended the Sharks' only home game in between two lengthy road trips and last home game before the Olympic break Friday night, and it was absolutely amazing for several reasons. First, I was hoping to make it to this particular game since it was Bay Area Unite Night with the 49ers and the Sharks were hosting the New York Rangers, a team pretty high up on my list of those I have been wanting to see play in person. I was fortunately able to do so, and it began by receiving a Sharks-49ers mashup shirsey. It basically looked like the 49ers' red home jerseys with some Sharks elements in it, and it is awesome. I had to open it up and put it on as soon as I could. I then headed straight for the team store, where I purchased a three-puck holder to hold and better display some of my collectible pucks. As for 49ers Bay Area Unite Night, besides the mashup shirsey giveaway, it featured appearances from Niners legend Tom Rathman, mascot Sourdough Sam, and some cheerleaders. However, I could only see them from afar, as I missed the cutoff to meet and get photos with them, which was honestly not a big deal to me.
Warmups were next, and it's always a joy to take part in watching that aspect of hockey. Before diving into the actual game itself, it's worth noting that Igor Chernyshov was sent down to the Barracuda the day before, so I was unable to see him perform in this game. In the moments leading up to the official start of this game, the four players representing the Sharks in the upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Olympics were honored, and Tom Rathman, who was the 49ers' running back and fullback from 1986 to 1993, was brought out to do the ceremonial puck drop. For those who need a quick refresher, the four players representing the Sharks at this year's Winter Olympics are Macklin Celebrini for Team Canada, Alex Wennberg for Team Sweden, Pavol Regenda for Team Slovakia, and Philipp Kurashev for Team Switzerland.
The Sharks got off to a blistering start against the Rangers, scoring three consecutive goals early in the first period. Macklin Celebrini opened the scoring on the power play with a redirection tap-in at the doorstep on a pass from Tyler Toffoli for his 25th goal of the season. Will Smith also assisted on this opening goal. The second of three Sharks first-period goals was scored on the power play by Pavol Regenda for his eighth goal of the season, assisted by Michael Misa and Collin Graf. The third Sharks goal in this contest was scored by Macklin Celebrini at even strength for his 26th goal of the season, assisted by Will Smith and Collin Graf. Macklin Celebrini also became the fastest player in Sharks franchise history to score 50 career goals, doing so in 120 games played. Later in the first period, the Rangers scored their lone goal of the game via Sam Carrick to get themselves on the board.
Later in the third period, Macklin Celebrini got elbowed in the face by Gabe Perreault, and while nobody in the area liked seeing that, luckily Macklin was okay. The big first period by the Sharks was all it took for them to beat the Rangers. Alex Nedeljkovic was fantastic and continued to ride his hot streak into this game, recording 28 saves on 29 shots against. Besides his current hot streak, Ned’s popularity has increased significantly among Sharks fans, especially after his recent fight against Sergei Bobrovsky in the Sharks’ game against the Panthers in South Florida. He was also named the second star of the night, with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith earning the first and third stars of the night respectively.
Overall, this Sharks-Rangers game was an incredible and unforgettable experience. I had a strong gut feeling that Macklin Celebrini would have a huge performance in this game after being held off the scoresheet in the Sharks' previous two games in the state of Florida, and he certainly delivered, scoring two goals. It was also a must-win game for the Sharks against a Rangers team that has been pretty mediocre this season, and they definitely took care of business. The Sharks are now 6-5-3 and back to a winning record when I am at their games. In addition, the New York Rangers are the latest team to be added to my list of NHL teams I have seen play in person, putting me one team shy of the halfway point in my quest to see all 32 NHL teams play in person. Regular game reviews resume on Tuesday, when the Sharks travel to Vancouver to face the Canucks at 7 pm PT to begin a five-game road trip and their final stretch of games before the Olympic break.
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