Macklin Celebrini continued his remarkable rookie season, scoring his 10th goal as the San Jose Sharks beat the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 3-1 on Saturday night.
Adam Gaudette and Alexander Wennberg also scored for San Jose (7-6-3), which extended its winning streak to three and improved to 5-0-1 in its past six games. Goaltender Yaroslav Askarov was outstanding, stopping 38 shots to frustrate the Panthers’ attack.
Brad Marchand scored Florida’s lone goal, giving him tallies in four straight games — the longest goal streak by a Panthers player aged 37 or older. Marchand now sits just four points shy of 1,000 for his career, which would make him the 102nd player in NHL history to reach that milestone.
The 19-year-old Celebrini, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, opened the scoring with 2:35 left in the first period. Taking a quick pass from fellow rookie Will Smith deep in the right corner, Celebrini buried a shot past Daniil Tarasov to put San Jose ahead 1-0. The goal gave him 24 points through 16 games, tying the record for the most points by a teenager in his team’s first 16 contests — a mark shared by Sidney Crosby (2006-07), Steve Yzerman (1984-85), and Wayne Gretzky (1980-81).
Gaudette doubled the Sharks’ lead early in the second period, beating Tarasov with a high shot to the glove side for his fourth goal of the season. Marchand quickly responded 28 seconds later when Askarov briefly lost sight of the puck while adjusting his mask, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
Florida (7-7-1) had ample opportunities to rally, including five power-play chances, but failed to convert on any of them. A third-period 5-on-3 advantage produced just one shot before the Sharks cleared the puck and killed off the penalty.
Wennberg sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the final minute, while Smith picked up his second assist of the night.
The win further solidified the Sharks’ strong start behind their emerging young core and the steady play of Askarov, who has been stellar in recent outings.
Panthers: At Vegas on Monday. Sharks: At Minnesota on Tuesday.
