Sharks Keep Wild Card Dream Alive as Macklin Celebrini Delivers Again

The San Jose Sharks received another monster performance from their young superstar last night. Macklin Celebrini posted two goals and two assists against the Ducks at SAP Center, powering San Jose to a dramatic 4-3 comeback win and extending the team's winning streak to three games.

The 19-year-old center's four-point night pushed his season total to 105 points, moving him past Erik Karlsson's franchise record of 101 from 2022-23 into second place on the Sharks' all-time single-season points list. Only Joe Thornton's 114-point campaign from 2006-07 now stands between him and the top of that list.

Celebrini tied the game at 3-3 with 1:39 remaining, then set up Alexander Wennberg in the high slot just 68 seconds later to complete the comeback. Will Smith added a goal and two assists, while Yaroslav Askarov stopped 28 shots to secure the victory for San Jose.

Climbing the Record Books

Celebrini's second goal of the night was his 40th of the season, making him the first Shark to reach that mark since Joe Pavelski in 2013-14. He also now owns 17 games with three or more points this season, placing him second among teenagers in NHL history, only to Wayne Gretzky, who had 19 such games in 1979-80.

The numbers continue to pile up at a historic pace for a player still just 19 years old. San Jose selected Celebrini first overall in the 2024 draft, and after posting 25 goals and 63 points as a rookie, the jump in his second season has been nothing short of extraordinary.

"The goal is to make the playoffs, and that's what we're going to try to do," Celebrini said following the win. The youngster has carried this flame inside him since he returned from Milan, and so far, it is the only thing that is keeping San Jose in the playoffs.

Wild Card Race Tightens With Nine Games Left

The victory moved San Jose to within one point of the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card spot out of the Western Conference. The Sharks have also played one fewer game than the Kings, giving them a path to leapfrog the standings before the week is out.

San Jose dropped six straight before the current three-game surge. Celebrini has produced nine points across that stretch, and the Ducks' coach took notice after Wednesday's loss, calling him a pretty special player after the final horn sounded.

The Sharks host the Toronto Maple Leafs next as the wild card tonight as the race enters its most critical stage of the season. San Jose has nine games remaining, and with the team having one game in hand over Los Angeles, a win over the Leafs will push them to 79 points and straight to the brink of breaking a six-year playoff drought.

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