The San Jose Sharks ended their six-game losing streak with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at SAP Center on Monday. Macklin Celebrini scored the game-winning goal early in the third period, capitalizing on a mistake by the Penguins’ defense. Tyler Toffoli intercepted Marcus Pettersson’s clearing attempt, setting up Celebrini to fire a shot past Alex Nedeljkovic. The win came after a rough stretch where the Sharks had given up at least six goals in their previous four games.
Key Contributions from Sharks’ Players
Mikael Granlund opened the scoring for the Sharks in the second period with a wrist shot after Ryan Shea mishandled a clearing attempt. Rookie Will Smith recorded an assist, extending his point streak to five games. Goaltender Yaroslav Askarov played a crucial role in securing the victory, making 29 saves, including a critical stop on a penalty shot. Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky praised his team for stepping up and executing their game plan effectively.
Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby quickly responded at the start of the third period, scoring just 24 seconds in after a fortunate bounce landed on his stick. Despite his goal, the Penguins struggled offensively and failed to generate enough scoring chances. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan expressed his disappointment, stating that his team did not play at the level expected of them. The loss marked their third consecutive defeat and their seventh in the last nine games.
Crucial Moments and Disallowed Goal
After Celebrini restored the Sharks’ lead, the Penguins had opportunities to tie the game again. Drew O’Connor was awarded a penalty shot midway through the third period, but Askarov made a keypad save to preserve the Sharks’ lead. Later, Michael Bunting appeared to score the equalizer for Pittsburgh, but the goal was overturned upon review due to goaltender interference. The Sharks successfully challenged the play, preventing the Penguins from forcing overtime.
With his game-winning goal, Celebrini became the third rookie in Sharks history to score at least four game-winning goals in a season, joining Logan Couture and Niko Dimitrakos. Bryan Rust returned to the Penguins’ lineup after missing one game due to injury and contributed an assist. Despite the loss, Pittsburgh will need to regroup quickly as they continue their push to stay competitive in the standings. Meanwhile, the Sharks will look to build on this victory as they aim for more consistent performances moving forward.