Macklin Celebrini didn’t need space to make his moment. just the puck on his stick. One glide, one snap through traffic and his third goal of the night ended it. A hat trick, an overtime winner and a reminder that when the game tightens, it’s his to take.
First period
The puck officially dropped at 7:08 pm at the SAP Center, and the Sharks were off to an amazing start. No seriously. In a very calm manner, Philipp Kurashev passed it to Will Smith. Celebrini patiently waited, got the pass, and there it was.
Yaroslav Askarov set his tone with a very tense save. He was shot at, from what looked like three feet away. It had been seven minutes. Celebrini got a breakaway by a lot, and that’s how you knew it would be buried in the same calm manner.
Hat trick watch, super good early lead, and compsure. Everything the Sharks have deserved and have been working towards. The steady game. To make things even better, Utah took two minutes for interference at seven minutes in. The Sharks were on the team’s first power play of the game and night.
The power play was holding. The Sharks did not end up producing, but hey, they had 2 points on the board and a lot of fight left in them.
There were really long shifts when there were only seven minutes left. Vincent Desharnais stayed out for over two minutes, and the Sharks were getting tired of a really good Utah forecheck. But luckily, offsides was called, and the game picked right back up.
But it was more of the same. A diluted version of the game start. The most important thing to pay attention to is the fact that it is steady and clean. The period ended 2-0 San Jose.
Second period
The first two minutes continued to be push and pull. After four, Barclay Goodrow was sent to the box for interference. The Mammoth were on their first power play of the game. They spent a good amount of the PP in the Sharks’ zone, but San Jose found moments and kept the puck out. Goodrow was released, and they were back to some good old 5-on-5 hockey.
Then there it was. The game picked up physically. Logan Cooley was making swings after a scuffle by the Sharks’ net, big hits on the glass, and overall, the puck was moving faster.
When the Sharks got to the Utah zone, they had no trouble setting up good shots, just delivering. The physicality picked up even more, which resulted in a Sharks power play with seven minutes left. The call on Utah was for a slashing by Clayton Keller.
This power play was a little bit less composed, but it was tight. The Sharks had good chances in the first minute, but Utah was able to keep the puck far away from their zone. It ended with no added goals.
The tension was then felt more than ever with another series of little swings here and there. Some uncalled penalties. What comes with these things is strength and patience. With patience comes payoff, and thanks to JJ Peterka, the Sharks were on their third power play after a tripping call.
This one started steadily, but the Sharks started missing a lot of passes. The Mammoth was able to get in the Sharks’ zone too many times for being down a man, and it ended up being more back and forth. Another scoreless power play.
Third Period
First four minutes, a lot of the same.
At 10:35, Peterka got one past Askarov and cut the Sharks’ lead to one.
That goal shifted the entire temperature of the building. Every touch of the puck suddenly had purpose, and the Sharks started to feel the pressure of a team playing like it had absolutely nothing to lose.
San Jose tried fighting the momentum swing with smart zone entries and a few controlled cycles, but Utah kept finding these little pockets of space in the neutral zone. And that’s all they needed. The hits got heavier. The boards got louder. And in pure Sharks fashion, they kept their composure.
But Utah’s confidence was only growing. Then came the moment that really turned the game. Utah tied it. Peterka again, this time at 2:51, and it was the kind of goal that just sucks the air straight out of a building.
San Jose tried to respond in the final minute, tying up faceoffs, working the perimeter, getting shots on net, but they just couldnt get one in. Utah closed out regulation with one last push.
Regulation ended in a tie. A game that once felt steady and controlled for San Jose was suddenly in overtime territory.
Overtime
Overtime opened at a controlled pace, both sides feeling things out and trying not to be the first to blink. Utah grabbed the initial possession, but it didn’t take long for the Sharks to settle in and get their touches.
Then came the too-many-men call on Utah. Nothing dramatic, just one of those OT mix-ups. The Sharks went to the power play. San Jose got into their rhythm. Quick regroup, steady entry, a couple good cycles.
And finally, the chance came. Celebrini stepped into it and put it away. His hat trick goal, and the game-winner, ending things with the same calm touch he’d had all night.
Sharks take it 3–2 in overtime. Steady, earned, and exactly the kind of finish they’ve been building toward.
Postgame
After a game that swung wildly between control and chaos, the Sharks came out of it with something bigger than just two points.
Celebrini, who owned the night, kept things pretty grounded afterward.
“Probably didn’t go as we would have liked, but it’s good that we found a way,” he said.
It summed up the night. Steady, patient, and just composed enough to push through the rough patches.
Celebrini also mentioned some new team traditions, which definitely feels like a sign of a group growing tighter.
“We’re starting a new tradition with our team shirts off, and you have to wear the necklace because you got it.”
Simple, weird, very hockey, and Ryan Reaves came up with it.
Head coach Ryan Warsofsky echoed the theme of growth in a pretty direct way.
“I think you learn every time you get a game under your belt,” he said. “We’re continuing to grow this thing, and it’s building, and we’re seeing some results from it.”
You could tell he wasn’t thrilled with every part of the game, especially that second period, but he also didn’t hesitate to credit his group for sticking with it.
And of course, he pointed to Askarov, who kept things from going sideways more than once.
“He was outstanding again,” Warsofsky said. “Made some big saves… that one goes to Askarov for sure.”
It wasn’t perfect, and the Sharks didn’t pretend it was. But it was another example of something they’re beginning to say with confidence: this is a game they probably would have lost last year. Now, they’re finding ways to finish. Sometimes cleanly, sometimes scrappy, but always progressing.
And on a night when their future star sealed it in overtime, that progress felt just a little more real.
