No one on the San Jose Sharks roster is extra disenchanted that their season collection with the St. Louis Blues is over than Macklin Celebrini.
Celebrini dazzled on Thursday evening, scoring twice and including an help because the Sharks held on to beat the Blues 4-3 to snap a three-game shedding streak and end a 13-day street journey with a 3-3-0 file.
New Sharks ahead Nikolai Kovalenko had his first profession three-point recreation with three assists, and goalie Alexandar Georgiev made 17 saves, together with six in a tense third interval, to win in his San Jose debut.
Celebrini assisted on Tyler Toffoli’s first-period objective and scored on the 5:43 and 19:53 marks of the second interval to offer the Sharks a 3-1 lead and register his second profession three-point recreation.
Celebrini’s first objective got here off his second effort. His meant move to Toffoli on a 2-on-1 hit a sliding Colton Parayko and got here again to him earlier than he beat Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, who was out of place, for his ninth objective of the season.
On his second objective, with the Sharks on the ability play, an energetic Celebrini took a seam move from Mikael Granlund, stickhandled the puck, and snapped a shot previous Binnington.
Blues ahead Brayden Schenn and Sharks defensemen Jake Walman traded objectives early within the third interval earlier than Jordan Kyrou scored on the 7:57 mark to chop San Jose’s lead again to at least one.
However that was as shut because it acquired. Celebrini had three objectives and 4 assists in three video games towards the Blues, and the Sharks completed their season with St. Louis with a 1-0-2 file.
Celebrini now has 19 factors in 20 video games this season.
The Sharks needed to benefit from the actual fact the Blues performed late Tuesday evening, profitable 4-3 in additional time in Vancouver, and didn’t return residence till Wednesday afternoon.
The Sharks then scored simply 81 seconds into the primary interval. After a tough forecheck, winger Kovalenko acquired the puck to the entrance of the online. Celebrini then acquired a shot on internet earlier than the puck got here to Toffoli, who, on a second effort, scored his twelfth of the season from beside the online.
The Blues acquired that objective again on the 10:26 mark. Breaking out of their zone forward of the Sharks’ forwards, St. Louis defenseman Ryan Suter fed the puck to ahead Jake Neighbours, who carried it into the San Jose finish, toe-dragged round a backchecking Timothy Lilejegren and fired a shot that beat Alexandar Georgiev excessive to the glove facet.
Nonetheless, the Sharks outshot the Blues 14-4.
Georgiev, acquired from the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, will doubtless get a number of extra alternatives to show he can nonetheless be a full-time NHL goalie.
Georgiev, a pending unrestricted free agent, was acquired from Colorado as a part of the multi-player, multi-draft decide commerce that despatched fellow goalie Mackenzie Blackwood to the Avalanche. Georgiev made his final internet begin for the Avalanche two days earlier than the commerce, as he stopped 29 of 30 pictures in Colorado’s 2-1 win over the Detroit Purple Wings.
In his final 5 appearances for the Avalanche, Georgiev was 2-2-0 with an .883 save proportion. Earlier than Thursday, Georgiev had an 8-7-0 file in 18 video games this season with a less-than-desirable .874 save proportion.
Undoubtedly, he was below great scrutiny in Colorado, which hopes to make a deep playoff run and problem for its second Stanley Cup in 4 years.
But when Georgiev can recapture no less than among the type he confirmed earlier in his profession, the Sharks might need one other commerce chip earlier than the March 7 commerce deadline. The Avalanche retained 14 % of Georgiev’s contract, so his cap hit is $2.924 million.
For now, Georgiev will tandem with Vitek Vanecek, one other pending UFA, because the Sharks subsequent play the Utah Hockey Membership on Saturday to start a three-game homestand.
The Sharks have been taking part in a Blues crew that was 5-1-1 since firing Drew Bannister as coach on Nov. 24 after a 9-12-1 begin to the season. They changed him with Jim Montgomery, who had been let go by the Boston Bruins 5 days earlier.
The Sharks at the moment are 5-10-4 away from residence this season, a file which features a 3-2 shootout loss in St. Louis on Nov. 21.
The Sharks have been seeking to finish a three-game shedding streak wherein they have been outscored 14-4. After beating Seattle and Washington to start out the journey, the Sharks have been outclassed by Tampa Bay 8-1 and Florida Panthers 3-1 final week earlier than shedding to Carolina 3-2 on Tuesday on a late third-period objective by Jalen Chatfield.
Initially Revealed: December 12, 2024 at 7:34 PM PST
