Macklin Celebrini celebrated making the Canadian Olympic hockey team in a big way Wednesday as the teenage phenom added a shootout goal to his goal and assist in regulation to push the San Jose Sharks past the visiting Minnesota Wild 4-3.
Igor Chernyshov also registered a goal and an assist in the win, while Jeff Skinner added his fifth goal of the season.
Yaroslav Askarov made 20 saves in regulation and stopped both shots he faced in the shootout as San Jose won its third straight.
Marcus Foligno tallied his first goal of the season, while Vladimir Tarasenko and Mats Zuccarello also scored for the Wild.
Jesper Wallstedt stopped 25 shots, including a pair by Celebrini in overtime, to force the shootout.
Minnesota claimed the first lead on Tarasenko’s goal midway through the first period. He potted his eighth of the season, blasting a shot past Askarov on a 2-on-1 breakaway with Ryan Hartman, who got the primary assist.
San Jose jumped ahead with a pair in the second period. Chernyshov scored his third of the season — and third in as many games — just 74 seconds into the period. Celebrini earned the primary assist, his 40th of the season, to extend his points’ streak to nine games.
By reaching that milestone in his 40th game of the season, the 19-year-old became the third-fastest teenager to reach 40 assists in a season. Sidney Crosby holds the record, getting 40 in 34 games in 2006-07, and Wayne Gretzky reached it in 36 games 45 years ago.
Skinner’s power-play goal from the high slot put the Sharks ahead with 3:13 left in the second period, and Celebrini gave San Jose a two-goal lead on his 22nd of the season just 4:16 into the third. Chernyshov recorded his fifth assist in seven NHL games.
The Wild rallied to force overtime, scoring a pair just 2:07 apart. Foligno scored a tight-angle goal from the right circle, and Zuccarello’s fourth of the season was unassisted with 11:13 remaining in regulation after he intercepted a pass from Celebrini in the Wild’s attack zone.
Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes had a breakaway chance midway through the 5-minute overtime that Askarov came out to stop.
After Celebrini scored in the second round of the shootout, William Eklund clinched the win with a goal in the third round.
Each team only took one minor penalty apiece in the contest.
The Sharks won all three games in the season series — the first two ended in overtime with Celebrini and Collin Graf tallying the game-winners.
–Field Level Media
