The Sharks generated a late comeback in the third period to tie the game at two, but could not overcome Sergei Murashov in overtime and the shootout in a 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Penguins struck first in the middle of the opening period via a blast from Sam Girard. This occurred on a shot which went off of Yaroslav Askarov’s shoulder on a sequence in which Askarov was screened before the puck found the back of the net. During the midst of the second period, Ivar Stenberg may have scored a possible game-tying goal, but the officials immediately waved it off and confirmed that there was no goal on that play after further review. This was more than likely due to a combination of a high touch and hand pass by Stenberg prior to the puck crossing the goal line. In fact, the NHL Situation Room stated that this goal was disallowed due to Stenberg batting the puck into the net with his hand.
Near the beginning of the third period, there was a review to determine if the puck crossed the goal line after ricocheting off the backboard, but fortunately for the Sharks, there was no goal on that sequence. A few minutes later, the Penguins extended their lead to two on a power play goal by Ben Kindel. Later in the third period, the Sharks finally got on the board and within a goal on Macklin Celebrini’s eighth goal of the season, which also happens to be his 200th career point. Michael Kesselring and Will Smith assisted on the Sharks’ first goal of this contest. With just over four minutes to go in regulation, Macklin Celebrini fed Mason Marchment in front of the net, who scored his fifth goal of the season and 100th NHL goal to even the game at two and force overtime. Sam Dickinson assisted on this huge equalizer as well.
The Sharks did not get many scoring chances in overtime, but their best opportunities to score and win came on a breakaway by Sam Dickinson and a late power play with about 42 seconds left. However, San Jose was unable to capitalize on both of these golden scoring chances. For a second game in a row, this needed to be decided in a shootout, in which Ben Kindel scored on the first attempt for Pittsburgh, and the Sharks were not able to get one past Sergei Murashov. This contest resulted in the Penguins staving off the Sharks’ late comeback efforts and earning the extra point in this contest. Yaroslav Askarov had another quality start tonight, compiling 33 saves on 35 shots against.
It was great to see the Sharks storm back late in the third period to tie and earn a point against the Penguins. However, they would have increased their chances of coming out on top if they got off to a better start, found a way to win in regulation, or received more puck possession in overtime. San Jose's efforts and resilience tonight remains a massive improvement compared to their past several games before Monday. Another significant positive for the Sharks here tonight was Macklin Celebrini, who led the Sharks' comeback efforts with a goal and an assist to become the fifth-youngest player in NHL history to reach 200 career points. In addition, Team Teal is now at the quarter point of their current campaign, holding a 8-11-2 record with 18 points and just two regulation wins. Next up, the Sharks travel to Salt Lake City to face the Mammoth on Saturday at 6 pm PT.
Sources: NBC Sports California, NHL App, Curtis Pashelka via X
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