Macklin Celebrini Sparks Sharks with Two-Goal Night in Win Over Rangers
SAN JOSE - Macklin Celebrini continues to look like the real deal. The 19-year-old center scored twice in the first period, leading the San Jose Sharks to a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers at SAP Center on Friday night. It was a fast, aggressive start from the Sharks - and it proved to be more than enough.
With the win, San Jose improves to 26-21-3 and has now taken three of its last five. The energy in the building matched the team’s urgency on the ice, and the Sharks fed off it early, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first eight minutes. For a team still shaping its identity, this was a statement period.
Celebrini’s Quick Strike Puts Sharks in Control
It didn’t take long for Celebrini to make his mark. Just 1:09 into the game, he found the back of the net on the power play - though it wasn’t your textbook finish.
Tyler Toffoli sent a cross-crease pass from the goal line that deflected off Celebrini’s skate and in. Not the prettiest goal of his young career, but it counted all the same.
“I think we’ve been frustrated with how our power play has been going,” Celebrini admitted postgame. “We want it to be a difference-maker for our group and help us win games. We haven’t really done that the last couple of games.”
That frustration didn’t last long. Just two minutes later, Pavol Regenda doubled the lead with another power-play tally.
Michael Misa, tied up along the left boards, managed to thread a pass to Regenda in the slot. With time and space, Regenda went to the backhand and lifted the puck over Spencer Martin’s blocker.
“I was really surprised,” Regenda said of how open he was. “Sometimes it’s better when you just close your eyes and put it there. We had a couple of drills yesterday, I felt pretty good, so I was like, OK, I’ll go try - and it worked out.”
Then came the dagger. At 7:37, Celebrini struck again.
This one was all about chemistry. Collin Graf worked the puck down the boards to Will Smith, who whipped a no-look backhand pass into the slot.
Celebrini didn’t hesitate, hammering a one-timer past Martin for his second of the night and 50th career goal.
“I kind of peeked right before Graf passed me that,” Smith said. “He was kind of far away, so I just used my intuition. I thought he was there.”
At just 19 years and 224 days, Celebrini became the second-youngest active player to reach the 50-goal milestone, trailing only Sidney Crosby (19 years, 120 days). He also recorded his seventh career multigoal period, passing Devin Setoguchi and Brent Burns for eighth-most in franchise history.
Rangers Can’t Recover from Early Hole
For the Rangers, this one got away early - and they never really recovered. New York has now dropped eight of its last nine games (1-7-1), and the frustration is starting to show.
“You can’t start a game like that,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said. “Spot a team a couple of goals and then take seven penalties along the way, and think you’re going to give yourself the best chance to win. It’s just not a recipe for success.”
Sam Carrick gave the Rangers a glimmer of hope midway through the first, cashing in on a rebound in front of Alex Nedeljkovic at 12:50. Carrick spun and fired through the five-hole to cut the deficit to 3-1, but that was as close as they’d get.
From there, Nedeljkovic shut the door. The Sharks’ netminder finished with 28 saves and earned his fifth straight win, looking calm and composed even as the Rangers pushed late.
Sharks Lock Down in the Third
After a shaky second period where San Jose’s structure slipped a bit, the team regrouped in the third and closed things out with poise.
“More maturity in our game in the third - I liked that,” said Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky. “We played with some better winning habits in the third.
Not so much in the second half of that second period. We weren’t very good with our details with the puck and without the puck, so I’m glad we kind of locked it in there.”
That third-period discipline was key. The Sharks didn’t give the Rangers much room to operate, stayed out of the box, and managed the puck well. It wasn’t flashy, but it was effective - the kind of mature hockey that wins games in the second half of the season.
Quick Hits:
- San Jose’s 26 wins are their most through 50 games since the 2018-19 season, when they had 28.
- Will Smith and Collin Graf each tallied two assists, continuing to build strong chemistry with Celebrini on the attack.
- Celebrini’s two-goal performance gives him seven career multigoal periods - and counting.
This was a game that showed what the Sharks can be when they execute early and stay disciplined late. And if Macklin Celebrini keeps playing like this, San Jose’s future might be arriving ahead of schedule.