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Sharks snap losing streak on Askarov gem
Macklin Celebrini scores 3rd period game winner
1/27/2025 - By Mike Lee

The Sharks snapped a 6-game losing streak with a gutsy 201 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at SAP Center in a rare Monday night game. Macklin Celebrini scored the game winning goal in the 3rd period after Pittsburgh erased a 1-0 Sharks lead earlier in the frame. Yaroslav Askarov made 32 saves to earn his 4th win of the season.

Pittsburgh was playing in the 6th game of a 7-game road trip that ends in Utah on Wednesday night. The Penguins entered play with a 2-3-0 record on the trip but had lost two straight before Monday night's game.

Like the Sharks, the Penguins have had issues generating much offense of late. Pittsburgh has only generated a single goal in their last 3 games. San Jose has allowed an average of 5.66 goals per game during their losing streak, so having a struggling offense like Pittsburgh come to town was just what the doctor ordered.

Both teams traded penalties in the opening period but neither power play unit could do anything with their chance. The Pens held the 10-9 advantage in shots and carried 1:48 of power play time to start the 2nd period after Jake Walman was called for holding late in the period.

The Sharks did a good job against the NHL's 6th ranked power play to diffuse both penalties that were called in that 1st frame.

Mikael Granlund finally cracked the scoring standoff with his 15th tally of the season at 7:41 if the 2nd period. The centerman gathered a Will Smith feed from the right side after Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea whiffed on a clearing attempt. The Sharks forward hit Granlund as he skated toward the bottom of the left circle before lifting a just under Penguin goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic's glove hand.

San Jose would out-shoot the Penguins 13-6 in the period, but more importantly held the 1-0 lead heading to the 2nd intermission.

The Penguins needed the first 24 seconds of the 3rd period to tie the game. Sidney Crosby evened things up off a put back chance from outside the right post. Bryan Rust and Matt Grzelcyk carried the puck up ice 3-on-2 before the puck squirted out to Crosby who flipped it toward the crease. The puck hit Askarov in the right pad before deflecting into the net.

San Jose answered 3 minutes later when Macklin Celebrini punched home his 16th of the season from the slot after Tyler Toffoli fed him the puck from the bottom of the right circle.

Bryan Rust was called for goaltender interference at 9:15, but the Penguins almost turned the tables on San Jose when Drew O'Connor raced up ice on a short-handed breakaway chance after Timothy Liljegren coughed up the puck at the Penguins blueline. Liljegren then helped Pittsburgh to a penalty shot as he tried to breakup O'Connor's breakaway chance with a hook from behind.

Askarov came up big on the penalty shot, getting his right pad on O'Connor's attempt to preserve the slim 1-goal lead.

Michael Bunting appeared to score an equalizer with 5:14 to play, but the Sharks challenged the play that Askarov was interfered with. The Sharks got the challenge win and the Sharks retained their lead.

Rust was called for cross checking with 2:37 remaining in regulation, but Jake Walman was then called for interference 33 seconds later. The Penguins pulled Nedeljkovic after Walman's penalty was called.

The Pens threw everything they had at Askarov in the final 2 minutes, out-shooting San Jose 17-6 in the period.

The Sharks netminder stood tall and the Sharks were winners for the first time in 7 games.

Game Notes:

* The Sharks announced their Quarter Century Team: 1st Team - Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Brent Burns, Marc-Edouard Vlasic & Evgeni Nabokov. 2nd Team - Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl, Owen Nolan, Dan Boyle, Erik Karlsson and Martin Jones.

* Joe Thornton and wife Tabea hosted Erik Karlsson for dinner on Sunday night. Karlsson had the opportunity to meet the Thornton's roommate Macklin Celebrini.

* Will Smith's assist on Mikael Granlund's 2nd period goal extended the rookie's point scoring streak to 5 games. Smith joined Macklin Celebrini who had a 5-game streak from November 25th through December 3rd.

* Former Sharks head coach David Quinn made his return to SAP Center as an assistant to Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan.

* SAP Center played host to the Sharks fathers who are in town for the annual Dad's trip which will be held in Seattle on Thursday.


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Scoring
1 2 3 T
PIT 0 0 1 1
SJ 0 1 1 2
1st period - None.
2nd period - 1, SJ, Granlund 15 (Smith), 7:41.
3rd period - 2, PIT, Crosby 15 (Rust, Grzelcyk), 0:24. 3, SJ, Celebrini 16 (Toffoli), 3:41. PIT, O'Connor (Unsuccessful penalty shot), 10:19.
Penalties
1st period - Liljegren, SJ (interference), 0:59; Hayes, PIT (tripping), 12:56; Walman, SJ (holding), 19:48.
2nd period - Celebrini, SJ (holding), 10:48.
3rd period - Rust, PIT (goaltender interference), 9:15; Liljegren, SJ (penalty shot - holding on breakaway), 10:19; Glass, PIT (cross checking), 17:23; Walman, SJ (interference), 17:56.
Goaltending
Shots Saves
PIT - Nedeljkovic 28 26
SJ - Askarov 33 32
Shots On Goal
1 2 3 T
PIT 10 6 17 33
SJ 9 13 6 28
Power Play Conversion
PIT 0 of 4
SJ 0 of 3
3 Stars of the Game
Yaroslav Askarov
Macklin Celebrini
Alex Nedeljkovic
Attendance
SAP Center - 11,625
Officials
Referees: #17 Frederick L'Ecuyer, #14 Trevor Hanson. Linesmen: #89 Joe Mahon, #62 Mitch Hunt.





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