Macklin Celebrini once again proved why he is one of the NHL’s brightest young stars, scoring twice, including the overtime winner, to lead the San Jose Sharks to a 4-3 comeback victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night at Bell Centre.
Celebrini finished with three points, delivering the decisive goal just 2:13 into overtime. With San Jose on the power play, the 20-year-old received a pass from Ivar Stenberg and fired a one-timer past Montreal goaltender Jakub Dobes, completing a comeback that appeared unlikely entering the third period. (NHL.com)
San Jose opened the scoring with Celebrini’s first goal late in the opening period, giving the Sharks an early advantage on the road. Montreal, however, gradually took control of the contest, responding with three unanswered goals from Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield to establish a 3-1 lead through 40 minutes.
With Montreal carrying a two-goal advantage into the final period, the Canadiens appeared positioned to secure another home victory. Instead, San Jose delivered one of its more impressive responses of the young season.
The Sharks refused to go away. Michael Misa cut the deficit to one early in the third period, providing San Jose with a much-needed spark. Former Canadien Tyler Toffoli then tied the game on the power play with 8:51 remaining in regulation, silencing the Bell Centre crowd and shifting momentum firmly in San Jose’s favor.
Celebrini assisted on Toffoli’s equalizer, giving him his second point of the evening before eventually delivering the finishing touch in overtime. His ability to influence the game both as a scorer and playmaker was once again on full display, particularly with the Sharks facing a significant deficit entering the final period. (Reuters)
The game-winning goal was Celebrini’s fourth career overtime winner, tying him with Ilya Kovalchuk and Sean Monahan for the most in NHL history by a player aged 20 or younger.
For Celebrini, the performance represented another milestone in what has already been an impressive start to his NHL career. Since entering the league as the first overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, the young center has quickly developed into the centerpiece of San Jose’s rebuilding efforts.
Alex Nedeljkovic finished with 31 saves for San Jose, which improved to 5-4-1 and snapped a two-game losing streak. Montreal fell to 4-3-2 despite receiving multi-point performances from Suzuki, Slafkovsky and Caufield.
Beyond the comeback itself, the victory highlighted the growing potential of San Jose’s young offensive core. With Celebrini and Misa both contributing to the rally, the Sharks demonstrated the type of offensive talent that could eventually help return the franchise to playoff contention.
For a rebuilding organization still working to establish consistency, Tuesday’s victory offered another encouraging glimpse of its future. And at the center of it all was Celebrini, whose overtime heroics continue to reinforce his growing reputation as one of hockey’s most exciting young talents. (NHL.com)
