Sharks stunt Devils with last-minute goal
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (#71) center gets a hug from Jan Rutta (#84) left and Marc-Edouard Vlasic (#44) right after scoring a goal against the New Jersey Devils in the third period, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
2025.01.04 – Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini scored at 18.07 in the third period and Cody Ceci scored with 24.2 seconds left in the period, as San Jose beat the New Jersey Devils 3-2 on Saturday before an announced sellout crowd of 17,435 at SAP Center.
Celebrini gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead at the 1:53 mark of the third period.
After Collin Graf sent a pass to Will Smith, Celebrini sped up the ice and into the Devils’ zone before taking the pass from Smith and beating Jacob Markstrom for his 13th goal of the season, but Paul Cotter answered for the Devils.
Celebrini’s 13th goal put him in first amongst rookies. He entered the game tied with the Flyers’ Matvei Michkov.
Devil’s Nico Hischier, on his 26th birthday, tied the game on the power play by deflecting the puck in an off a pass by Jack Hughes.
The Devils lost their four straight on a six-game road trip, and have yet to find a rhythm coming off the holiday break.
Askarov, coming off a perfect third period on Thursday, looked solid in his second straight start as the Sharks are giving their goaltender of the future more experience.
With the puck in the Devils’ zone in the final 25 seconds of the third, Jonas Siegenthaler fell in the corner. Ceci took a pass from Alexander Wennberg at the point and fired a shot that got past Devils goalie Markstrom for his third goal of the season as the Sharks put together back-to-back wins for the first time in just over a month.
The Sharks won against a second consecutive playoff team after beating the Lightning on Thursday to snap an eight-game losing streak, and improved to 8-12-1 at home.
In December, the Sharks gave up the tying or winning goal in the final three minutes of the third period four times. It happened most recently against the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 21, when the Sharks allowed a tying goal to Mattias Ekholm with 18 seconds left in regulation before losing 3-2 in overtime.
“We’ve been on the other side of it. Now, to come out on this side, it’s good for our group,” Ceci said. “Those games are tough when you lose them in the last minute, and then that much better when you win it last minute.”
2025.01.04 – NJ Devils vs. SJ Sharks (NHL Highlights)
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (#71) center pass the puck to a sharks teammate during the third period, against the New Jersey Devils. Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
2025.01.04 – NJ Devils vs. SJ Sharks (NHL Highlights)
2025.01.04 – NJ Devils vs. SJ Sharks (NHL Highlights)
“I thought we started getting our identity going there early in the year and not getting the result, and now we’re starting to get rewarded for it these last two,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “Our guys are starting to see the recipe of how you need to play and compete.”
Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov stopped 29 shots for San Jose, improving his record with the Sharks this season to 3-2-2 with a .923 save percentage. Devils goalie Markstrom made 21 saves for New Jersey.
Askarov’s most critical save came with 2:40 left in the third period. Jack Hughes was driving toward the Sharks net when he had a shot attempt blocked by Timothy Liljegren, but the puck came right to Ondrej Palat, who shot it into a backpedaling Askarov. The puck then slid just wide of the net.
Askarov started again for the Sharks after he made 24 saves in San Jose’s win over the Lightning.
Askarov was recalled from the Barracuda of the AHL after goalie Vitek Vanecek sustained a fractured cheek on Dec. 17 when he was hit in the face by an errant puck that had sailed into the bench.
“He’s given the Sharks a chance to win in every game he’s played since, He’s been huge,” Ceci said of Askarov. “The saves, him playing the puck, he’s been awesome for us back there. I don’t think (the game) gets to that point without him.”
2025.01.04 – NJ Devils vs. SJ Sharks (Brodie Brazil-Post-game)
San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (#30) defends against the New Jersey Devils during the first period, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
2025.01.04 – NJ Devils vs. SJ Sharks (Brodie Brazil-Post-game)
2025.01.04 – NJ Devils vs. SJ Sharks (Brodie Brazil-Post-game)
The Sharks hadn’t won back-to-back games since beating the Seattle Kraken on Nov. 30 and the Washington Capitals on Dec. 3. Since then, San Jose has gone 3-10-1, with four of those regulation-time losses by one goal.
Nikolai Kovalenko scored his first goal with the Sharks late in the first period after joining the team in a trade last month.
Luke Kunin kept the puck inside the Devils zone and sent a pass to William Eklund along the boards. Eklund then directed the puck to an open Kovalenko in the slot, and he made a nifty move before tucking the puck past Markstrom for a 1-0 Sharks lead.
Eklund returned to the Sharks’ lineup on Saturday after missing the previous four games with an upper-body injury sustained in a Dec. 23 game against the Vancouver Canucks when defenseman Tyler Myers hit him.
Eklund, tied for second on the Sharks with 28 points in 37 games, played on a line Saturday with center Mikael Granlund and fellow winger Fabian Zetterlund. Against the Devils, the three players combined for nine shots on goal.
2025.01.04 – NJ Devils vs. SJ Sharks (Joe Thornton #19 Retirement)
San Jose Sharks’ Nikolai Kovalenko (#15) right scores a goal in the first period against New Jersey Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom (#25), Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
2025.01.04 – NJ Devils vs. SJ Sharks (Joe Thornton #19 Retirement)
2025.01.04 – NJ Devils vs. SJ Sharks (Joe Thornton #19 Retirement)
“Grandpa (Granlund) there can help them out a little bit,” Warsofsky said of the line with Eklund, 22, and Zetterlund, 25. “He takes him under their wing. He’s helping these two young players, who are still trying to figure out how to play consistently in this league, and I think Granlund’s done a great job of helping them individually.”
To create a roster opening for Eklund, the Sharks placed defenseman Jake Walman (lower-body injury) on injured reserve.
With Walman having to miss the last five games, Henry Thrun has filled in on the Sharks’ top defense pair with Ceci. In that time, Thrun has averaged 19:53 in ice time, including playing over 21 minutes in three of the last four games. Thrun played 21:16 and had four shots on goal and two blocked shots in Thursday’s win.
STURM OUT: Sharks center Nico Sturm, considered questionable to play against the Devils, was scratched. Sturm blocked a shot from defenseman Darren Raddysh in the first period of Thursday’s game and did not skate Friday.
UP NEXT
Devils: Visit the Seattle Kraken on Monday.
Sharks: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.
Related – Sharks snapped win less streak beating Lightning
Related – See below: Best San Jose Sharks’ Game 7 Comeback
Read more at: San Jose Sharks Media Services / More AP NHL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
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