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Quick bites: Sharks roar back in Pittsburgh to 6-5 overtime win

Posted on by Erika Towne

The San Jose Sharks did something today that no other Sharks team has ever done. Down 5-1 in the third period, the team overcame a four-goal deficit to not just tie the game, but win it, something that no other Sharks team in the history of the franchise has done. Of course, that’s in part because the stacked teams of the past never would have gotten themselves into such a predicament in the first place, but we take our wins where we can get them. The Sharks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-5 in overtime in a rollercoaster of a ride that left Sharks’ fans feeling drained.

Looking at Natural Stat Trick’s Corsi differential in all situations, you can see just how crazy this ride was.

While the Sharks started things out on the right foot, creating chances and shots in the first period, the tone seemed to change as the period wore on. Even though San Jose was the first on the board, the Penguins quickly responded, and San Jose lost momentum from there. When the first period ended, the shots were 12-7 in favor of the Penguins, and the scoring chances were 14-11. Still, San Jose was very much in the game.

That said, the second period was a much different story. While the Penguins built on the momentum gained at the tail end of the first period, the Sharks floundered. San Jose allowed 20 shots in the second frame, and Yaroslav Askarov was under siege. The Penguins had seven high-danger scoring chances and scored three goals, including one power play goal. It was a tough period for the Sharks, and it looked like San Jose was done for the night.

But like all games, all it takes is a spark, and while not ideal, San Jose got one at 3:30 of the third period. The Sharks were on the power play when Will Smith brought the puck into the Penguins’ zone. He tried to turn away from the oncoming Parker Wotherspoon, who finished his check. It was immediately clear that Smith was hurt. William Eklund didn’t like the hit and gave Wotherspoon a shove. Macklin Celebrini liked it even less.

Celebrini’s immediate response and his willingness to take the roughing penalty to stick up for a teammate sparked the team. While the Penguins scored on the Celebrini roughing penalty, you could feel something in the air with the Sharks. San Jose immediately drew a power play and then a second when Erik Karlsson got called for playing with a broken stick. That power play goal with Celebrini in the box felt as though it was influenced by the spark that Celebrini ignited.

Then, there was the ensuing impact that the 19-year-old center had on the remainder of the game. He was integral in the game-tying and the game-winning goals. In overtime, Celebrini went head-to-head with Sidney Crosby, showing no fear against one of the top-scoring players in the league.

In total, Celebrini played 26:12 through three periods and overtime, and that’s in addition to sitting four minutes in the penalty box. Celebrini was, no surprise, the Sharks’ best player of the game according to HockeyStatCards’ GameScore Impact Card.

The completeness of Celebrini’s game today shows why the young center deserves to be handed the captaincy. He jumped into the fray when Smith went down, immediately coming to the defense of a teammate. Following that, the team rallied around him and fed off of his anger. They understood the need to follow their best player. What’s more, Celebrini was their best player. He did everything in his power to haul this team to a win and, ultimately, he did. This is what franchises want from their stars and their captains. Leaders in every sense of the word. He earned that “C” tonight and while he might not get it until this summer, we can look back on this game and know that this is when he sealed it for himself.

Alex Wennberg deserves a ton of credit

The second-best forward for the Sharks today was Alex Wennberg, who does all of the little things that he’s not always getting credit for. If General Manager Mike Grier decides that it’s time to trade Wennberg at the deadline, his highlight reel should not consist of his goals or assists, but what he does off the puck.

For instance, Wennberg’s work on Klingberg’s power play goal. Wennberg didn’t get a point, but he’s the one standing in front of the goal, screening Arturs Silovs.

That goal does not happen if Wennberg is not there.

Then there was what Wennberg did on Celebrini’s goal to make it 5-4. Once again, he was standing in front of the net, making it difficult for Silovs to see the puck cleanly.

This is what Wennberg brings to the Sharks that doesn’t always get enough credit.

Sharks starting to get the reward of Klingberg’s game

Klingberg can be a poor man’s Erik Karlsson when things are going well, but to date, the defenseman hasn’t been able to string together enough games to deliver that to fans, that is, until recently. Klingberg had two goals in this game and has seven points in his last four games. He’s starting to bring on the offense, which is making it easier for Sharks fans to overlook the defensive defects in his game, especially when the team is winning.

Klingberg’s game-winning goal in this game shows what he can offer the Sharks when he’s on his game and it’s fun to be along for the ride.

Scoring summary San Jose Sharks at Pittsburgh Penguins Dec. 13, 2025

First period
10:27 SJS Tyler Toffoli from Sam Dickinson and Alex Wennberg
12:41 PIT Sidney Crosby from Anthony Mantha and Bryan Rust on the power play

Second period
0:19 PIT Rutger McGroarty from Ben Kindel and Kris Letang
9:42 PIT Kevin Hayes from Noel Acciari and Connor Dewar
19:53 PIT Bryan Rust from Sidney Crosby and Anthony Mantha on the power play

Third period
5:25 PIT Anthony Mantha from Bryan Rust and Erik Karlsson on the power play
7:33 SJS John Klingberg from Tyler Toffoli and William Eklund on the power play
14:19 SJS William Eklund from Alex Wennberg and Adam Gaudette
17:33 SJS Macklin Celebrini from Tyler Toffoli and Collin Graf
18:22 SJS Tyler Toffoli from Alex Wennberg and Macklin Celebrini

Overtime
2:57 SJS John Klingberg from Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf

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