SAN JOSE – Depend Aleksander Barkov as a member of Macklin Celebrini’s rising fan membership.
The Florida Panthers captain and two-time Selke Trophy winner typically matched up in opposition to the San Jose Sharks 18-year-old rookie on Dec. 7 when the 2 groups performed one another at Amerant Financial institution Area.
Whereas Celebrini was held off the scoresheet in a 3-1 Sharks loss to the reigning Stanley Cup champions, Barkov admired how mature {the teenager}’s recreation was at that time in his profession.
Celebrini has had his share of highlight-reel performs this season as he entered Saturday’s recreation in opposition to Barkov and the Panthers with 35 factors in 39 video games. Celebrini’s 15 targets earlier than Saturday’s recreation led all NHL rookies, even because the Sharks have stumbled to final place within the league’s total standings.
However Celebrini’s two-way recreation, alongside together with his hockey IQ and compete stage, has additionally drawn reward this season as he makes his means across the NHL for the primary time. Celebrini has been thought-about a future candidate for the Selke Trophy, which works to the perfect defensive ahead within the NHL. Barkov received the award in 2021 and after final season.
“I know he’s putting up a lot of points too, but it’s not because of his cheating for offense,” Barkov mentioned of Celebrini. “He’s playing the game right way, and it was tough to play against him for sure, even offensively.”
Panthers coach Paul Maurice, who’s teaching his 1,899th profession NHL recreation on Saturday, additionally appreciated how Celebrini performed in that recreation final month, as {the teenager} completed with 5 photographs on web and two shot blocks in 21:47 of ice time.
“Really impressed with him and his respect for the game,” Maurice mentioned of Celebrini. “All of these skilled guys come in, and they’ve got to put up numbers. There’s pressure to put up numbers, but I just thought that young man played the game the right way. He made the right decisions. He put pucks deep when he was supposed to, but he made plays when he had the chance to make those plays.
“He’s going to be a great player and a great leader in this league.”
Like Celebrini, Barkov entered the NHL at 18 and debuted with the Panthers only a few months after being chosen second total within the 2013 NHL Draft.
Barkov had 34 factors in 54 video games in his rookie season, averaging simply over 17 minutes in ice time per recreation. Whereas Celebrini is taken into account one of many main candidates to win the Calder Trophy because the NHL’s greatest rookie, Barkov completed sixteenth in voting for the award after his first season with the Panthers.
“I was very excited my first year, very excited to be here and just to try and make the team and try to help the team to win games and try to be as good as I can,” mentioned Barkov, now 29. “I had really good teammates. They took care of me. They helped me a lot.”
RUTTA OUT: Sharks defenseman Jan Rutta missed his first recreation of the season Saturday with what coach Ryan Warsofsky mentioned was a nagging lower-body harm. Rutta is taken into account day-to-day.
In 51 video games with the Sharks this season, Rutta, a pending unrestricted free agent and a candidate to be dealt to a different staff earlier than the March 7 commerce deadline, had eight factors and averaged near 17 minutes of ice time per recreation.
With out the right-shot Rutta, the Sharks on Saturday began left photographs Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Henry Thrun on their third pair, with Thrun taking part in on the fitting aspect.
The Sharks play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday to finish a three-game homestand.
DELLANDREA UPDATE: Ahead Ty Dellandrea, who absorbed a excessive hit from Nashville Predators ahead Cole Smith on Thursday, remained off the ice Saturday morning and is taken into account day-to-day with an upper-body harm. Dellandrea was positioned on injured reserve on Friday and won’t be able to play once more till Feb. 4, when the Sharks host the Montreal Canadiens.
“We’ll see here in the next few days how it progresses,” Warsofsky mentioned of Dellandrea’s harm. “Seems like he’s doing a little bit better. So we’ll take it day by day.”
SEASON DEBUT: Sharks ahead Scott Sabourin performed his first NHL recreation in over a 12 months on Saturday as he began on the fourth line with middle Barclay Goodrow and fellow winger Walker Duehr.
Sabourin, recalled from the Barracuda on Friday after Dellandrea went on IR, performed three video games for the Sharks final season from Jan. 9-16. Within the second and last 12 months of a two-year, two-way contract he signed with the Sharks in 2023, Sabourin didn’t know if he’d get one other shot within the NHL. Now that he’s right here, Sabourin, a pending UFA, needs to indicate that he could be an asset to a corporation.
“That’s absolutely the hope,” Sabourin mentioned about incomes one other contract. “That’s why I show up every day and put my work boots on. I’m going to go out there and show my best stuff, and (the Sharks) will determine the rest.”
Initially Revealed: January 25, 2025 at 1:49 PM PST
