The San Jose Sharks completed their road trip with a 6-5 overtime victory against the Minnesota Wild, fueled by Macklin Celebrini's game-winning goal [2]. The Sunday game at Grand Casino Arena saw Celebrini play the hero, overshadowing what could have been a story about the Sharks relinquishing another third-period lead [6].
Key Moments
The game was a seesaw battle with multiple lead changes. Michael Misa scored his first NHL goal, giving the Sharks an early 2-0 lead [2, 14]. Misa described his goal as "the easiest first goal I could ask for," capitalizing on a net-front opportunity [14]. However, the Wild responded, with Rossi scoring twice in quick succession to tie the game 2-2 [7, 18]. William Eklund then put the Sharks back in front, 3-2, at 11:15 of the second period, ripping a saucer pass five-hole [1, 7]. Ryan Reaves extended the lead to 4-2 just 19 seconds later with a deflection [18].
Minnesota fought back, eventually tying the game and forcing overtime [6]. In the extra period, Celebrini sealed the win at 3:47, [8, 19] securing a 6-5 victory for San Jose [6]. Celebrini stole the puck in the slot and skated it out himself, ultimately capitalizing on the opportunity [16].
Standout Performances
Macklin Celebrini continued his impressive start to the season, earning the NHL's First Star of the Week [12, 13]. Beyond his overtime heroics against the Wild [6, 8, 15], Celebrini had a three-point game on Sunday [10]. William Eklund also had a notable performance, scoring twice and contributing three points overall [1, 8, 17, 19]. Goaltender Yaroslav Askarov made his second consecutive start for the Sharks [9]. Philipp Kurashev also contributed, stripping Kaprizov of the puck to set up Eklund's goal [7, 18]. Adam Gaudette left the game with an upper body injury [16].
TL;DR
* Macklin Celebrini scored the overtime winner as the Sharks defeated the Wild 6-5 [2, 8]. * Michael Misa scored his first NHL goal, contributing to the Sharks' early lead [2, 14]. * William Eklund had a three-point game, including two goals [1, 8, 17]. * Celebrini was named the NHL's First Star of the Week [12, 13].