St. Paul, Minn. – In a thrilling contest on Sunday, Macklin Celebrini scored an unassisted goal at 3:47 of overtime, securing a 6-5 victory for the San Jose Sharks against the Minnesota Wild. The game, held in St. Paul, was a rollercoaster for both teams, featuring multiple lead changes and a flurry of goals in the third period.
Celebrini's game-winning goal came after he collected a loose puck in the Sharks' zone following a save by Yaroslav Askarov on Brock Faber. Celebrini then raced in alone and beat Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt. In addition to his overtime heroics, Celebrini also contributed two assists during the game.
William Eklund also had a standout performance for the Sharks, scoring twice. Michael Misa, Ryan Reaves, and Tyler Toffoli also found the back of the net for San Jose. Goalie Yaroslav Askarov made 28 saves to help secure the win.
The Wild mounted a strong comeback in the third period, scoring three goals, including a late goal by Joel Eriksson Ek with 2:18 remaining in regulation, to tie the game. Kirill Kaprizov assisted on Eriksson Ek's goal, marking his third assist of the game and 400th career point. Earlier in the third, Tyler Toffoli scored a power-play goal to give the Sharks a 5-3 lead, but Zeev Buium responded quickly for the Wild, scoring just 36 seconds later after his shot deflected off Ty Dellandrea. Marcus Johansson, Marco Rossi, and Ryan Hartman also scored for Minnesota. Jesper Wallstedt had 19 saves for the Wild.
Eklund and Reaves scored 19 seconds apart in the second period, giving the Sharks a 4-2 lead. Eklund also scored an early power-play goal, and Michael Misa scored his first career goal on a rebound, giving San Jose a 2-0 lead in the first period.
Notably, the goals were the 11th straight by San Jose in which either the 18-year-old Misa or 19-year-old Celebrini factored, marking only the second time in NHL history that teenagers have factored in at least 11 straight of a team's goals. Edmonton had a similar streak with 13 straight from Nov. 26 – Dec. 7, 1980. Celebrini's three-point game also made him only the second teenager in league history with at least 12 points through his team's first five road games in a season. Sidney Crosby had 13 in 2006-07.
Following the game, the Sharks will return home to host the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night. The Wild will also be in action on Tuesday night, hosting the Winnipeg Jets.
