VANCOUVER – Macklin Celebrini already has a protracted checklist of accomplishments throughout his younger NHL profession.
He added one other Saturday night time — a win in his hometown.
Celebrini scored and contributed an help as his San Jose Sharks doubled up the Canucks 6-3 in Vancouver.
“I feel all of us needed this one fairly dangerous and it’s cool to type of win right here,” stated the 19-year-old centre.
“I had a number of household right here and clearly spent a while at residence spending Christmas up right here, so it was superior to type of get one in entrance of them.”
The Sharks (18-17-3) took an early 2-0 lead within the first interval Saturday however the Canucks threatened to rally for a comeback, repeatedly reducing their deficit to a single objective.
The No. 1 choose within the 2024 draft put the sport out of attain late within the third.
Russian rookie Igor Chernyshov held on to the puck alongside the endboards, then sliced a fast move to Celebrini, who dropped to his knees as he blasted a one-timer up and over Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko to present San Jose a 5-3 lead with lower than 4 minutes on the sport clock.
“That’s a sport the place I don’t understand how that may have gone (our manner) final yr,” Celebrini stated. “However I feel there’s only a calm on our bench, and we type of knew what we have to do earlier than, to get that win.”
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The younger star now has factors in seven straight video games, with 5 objectives and 9 assists throughout the stretch. He sits third within the league in factors (57) behind Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (68) and Nathan MacKinnon (64) of Colorado.
“(Celebrini’s) a great hockey participant. Everyone knows that. And he performed good,” stated Canucks head coach Adam Foote. “He discovered open area up excessive and bought pucks to the online and so they have been digging. He labored onerous.”
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Chernyshov scored his first NHL objective on Saturday and picked up an help on Celebrini’s tally. He has 5 factors (one objective, 4 assists) throughout his first 5 video games within the league.
Ryan Reaves, John Klingberg, William Eklund and Collin Graf additionally scored for the Sharks, and Yaroslav Askarov stopped 24 of the 27 pictures he confronted.
Linus Karlsson had a power-play tally for the Canucks (15-19-3), whereas Drew O’Connor bought a short-handed marker and Marco Rossi scored for the primary time in a Vancouver jersey.
The 24-year-old centre was acquired from the Minnesota Wild alongside winger Liam Ohgren and defenceman Zeev Buium as a part of a blockbuster commerce for star defenceman Quinn Hughes on Dec. 12.
“It was a tricky night time. I feel we knew earlier than the sport, San Jose’s a extremely expert crew, and if we have been having too many turnovers and too many errors, we have been gonna receives a commission for it,” Rossi stated.
“And we simply need to be higher and couple puck managements and puck choices on the market. However now we’ve to, clearly, preserve getting higher.”
A CHALLENGING CALL
San Jose took the lead 6:11 into the sport when Barclay Goodrow tipped Vincent Iorio’s shot on web and the puck dribbled via Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko. The rubber lay within the crease for a second earlier than the netminder lined it along with his blocker, however Reaves managed to shovel it in for his first in 24 video games.
Demko believed the objective ought to have been waived off.
“When I discovered it, I bought my hand on prime of it and swept it out, after which he pushed my total arm within the web,” he stated. “So, I imply, you see challenges the place guys are jabbing legs and no matter else within the web, and so they often get referred to as again.”
The netminder went to the bench on the subsequent whistle and gave the impression to be talking with Foote.
The pinnacle coach stated he didn’t consider the objective would have been referred to as again if he’d launched a problem.
“Our guys know the rule. After a rebound, two gamers — the goaltender and participant — are concurrently going after that puck without delay, the rule states it’s not going to be referred to as again,” Foote stated. “And, onerous to see on that angle if he had it utterly lined. However our guys didn’t suppose that was going to get referred to as again.”
WELCOME HOME
Celebrini wasn’t the one native participant within the Sharks’ lineup on Saturday. Iorio grew up in close by Coquitlam, B.C., and stated he had at the least 30 family and friends within the stands.
The 23-year-old defenceman registered an help on Reaves’ objective and stated listening to his identify introduced at Rogers Enviornment was “fairly cool.”
“I used to be telling my dad and mom simply how surreal it’s, and what number of video games I’ve performed right here as a child rising up, all of the names and stuff,” he stated. “I chatted with (color commentator) Ray Ferraro briefly after the sport, he’s a legend right here. … It’s only a full circle second.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Dec. 28, 2025.
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