VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The San Jose Sharks most likely couldn’t have requested for way more from 18-year-old centerman Macklin Celebrini in his first two-plus months within the NHL.
Celebrini has 25 factors in 25 video games, averages round 20 minutes of ice time per evening, and commonly has to play in opposition to the opposing staff’s prime one or two traces. Because the Christmas break begins, he has put himself ready to win the Calder Memorial Trophy this season because the NHL’s prime rookie.
It’s not an overstatement to say he’s breathed new life into the Sharks franchise.
None of that mattered to Celebrini on Monday evening, although, and for apparent causes.
Whereas Celebrini had two assists in his first recreation as an NHL participant in his hometown, his giveaway on the offensive blue line — later leading to a Vancouver Canucks purpose — was prime of thoughts in what would change into a 4-3 Sharks loss at Rogers Enviornment.
Celebrini carried the puck into the Canucks’ zone and tried a backhand cross-ice move to teammate and fellow rookie Will Smith, who was simply coming throughout the blue line. However the move was intercepted by Conor Garland, establishing a Canucks odd-man rush that Elias Pettersson would end off.
“I thought (Smith) was kind of coming more towards me, and I just tried to make a play,” Celebrini mentioned. “It was a split-second decision.”
The purpose put the Sharks behind by two. Pettersson added a power-play purpose shortly afterward, and regardless of getting third-period targets from Cody Ceci and Luke Kunin, the Sharks misplaced their fifth straight recreation.
“I feel like I’m playing some good hockey, but I’ve been making mistakes that kind of cost our team against some of these good teams,” Celebrini mentioned. “Those turnovers, I can’t keep doing them.”
It’s simply a part of the steep studying curve for Celebrini, who has had so much placed on his shoulders in a short time.
There have been pricey errors, just like the one Monday and one other one Dec. 10 – which he famous — in Carolina, the place his failed clearing try ended up within the Sharks’ internet, and moments when Celebrini tries to do an excessive amount of.
Nonetheless, Celebrini’s play has been exhilarating at occasions, most notably his three video games in opposition to the St. Louis Blues, during which he totaled three targets and 4 assists. His 11 targets thus far are tied with Philadelphia’s Matvei Michkov for the league lead amongst rookies.
Consistency, although, will in the end make Celebrini a star within the NHL. It’s a tough league, particularly for a young person.
“You’ve got to learn from it, and you’ve got to move forward, and he will,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky mentioned of Celebrini. “He understands the importance of making mistakes and learning from them, and we’ve seen that all year, so I’m not too worried about it.
“I think he gives you everything he has every time he’s on the ice, and that’s a special player that’s learning how to play. He’s 18 years old in his hometown. … That’s what being a human being is all about, too. So, we’ve got to be there to help him. He’s going to learn from it. We’ll work to get better at it.”
Celebrini’s continued improvement might be one of many extra intriguing issues to observe the remainder of the season.
Definitely, there is not going to be any trace of a playoff chase, because the Sharks, having misplaced eight of their final 9 video games, go into Christmas 12 factors out of the final postseason spot. With 28 factors in 37 video games, the Sharks at the moment are in thirty first place out of 32 NHL groups.
Though the playoffs had been by no means a practical chance for the Sharks, this wasn’t essentially meant to be a tank 12 months (in contrast to final season’s bare ambition). They do wish to take a step ahead and present they know how you can win video games.
The Sharks have been agonizingly shut at occasions. They now maintain a 7-8-6 report in one-goal video games. San Jose performed in 30 one-goal video games all of final season whereas additionally shedding by 5 or extra targets a staggering 11 occasions.
The Sharks have solely misplaced by 4 or extra targets 3 times this season and solely as soon as since late October.
Monday, the Sharks may have folded after falling behind by three targets on the finish of the second interval, and maybe final season’s staff would have. As a substitute, they managed many of the play within the last 20 minutes earlier than developing with one purpose quick. Once more.
“I think we’re constantly getting better,” Sharks ahead Barclay Goodrow mentioned. “We’re in one goal games, it seems like, for the last month. Just need to keep grinding, keep working out ways to try to turn those one-goal losses into one-goal wins, two-goal wins, and continue to grind and get better.
“I think we can use this little break as a reset and come back after Christmas with fresh legs, a fresh mind, and get ready for a strong push, and kind of maybe use this third period when we did do a lot of things well, to get us going on the 27th.”
That’s when the Sharks face one other high quality opponent because the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights, with Tomas Hertl, go to SAP Middle. It’ll be one other check for Celebrini and the Sharks.
“I think we’ve just got to learn how to win,” Celebrini mentioned. “They’ve all been one goal games, two goal games, so we’ve got to figure out how to put these games away, and today we had to battle back.
“We all believe that we can finish some of these games. It’s just about doing it.”
Initially Printed: December 23, 2024 at 11:25 PM PST
