The Sharks wrapped up their 2025-26 NHL
campaign with one final game in Winnipeg on Thursday night. The Sharks did an
about face from their 3rd period meltdown in Chicago 24 hours earlier by
spanking the host Jets 6-1 at Canada Life Centre. With their playoff
aspirations squashed earlier in the week, the only thing the Sharks had to play
for was personal accomplishments. The biggest one came from team MVP Macklin
Celebrini who scored a goal and added 2 assists to pass Joe Thornton for the
franchise rerecord for scoring in a season.
Celebrini tied Thornton
with his assists on goals in the first two periods of play, then passed the
Sharks legend with a 3rd period goal, giving him 115 points.
The
Sharks big step forward this season was accentuated by Celebrini's
accomplishment this season. Linemate Will Smith The Jets opened the game's
scoring at 3:28 of the contest when a puck hopped over Mario Ferraro's stick,
allowing Cole Koepke to race up ice on a breakaway chance. Koepke beat Alex
Nedeljkovic for his 8th goal of the season.
San Jose answered 3
minutes later after Nino Niederreiter was called for high sticking. Igor
Chernyshov gathered a rebound off a William Eklund shot and lifted the second
chance past goaltender Eric Comrie. Chernyshov was floating through the slot
from right to left as Eklund's shot hit Comrie.
Macklin Celebrini was
credited with the secondary assist to pull with one point of Thornton's
franchise record. Celebrini would draw even with Thornton with the primary
assist on Will Smith's goal 10 minutes later.
Smith swept home his 24th of the season after
Celebrini sent a 40-foot pass through the slot from the right side. Smith slid
to the bottom of the left circle where he parked to receive the Celebrni feed.
Collin Graf recorded his 21st goal of the season 5:51 into the 2nd
period. The young forward scooped up a puck in the Sharks zone before skating
up the left side before cutting across the high slot and snapping a shot past
Comrie for the 3-1 Sharks lead.
Michael Misa potted his 9th of the
season with 1:59 remaining in the period. The 2nd overall pick in last summer's
NHL draft raced up the right side, then tried wristing a shot past Comrie. The
Jets goaltender made the save, but in doing so he came out of his net, opening
up a gap that allowed Misa to grab the rebound and slip it home.
Eklund converted his 15th of the season with 5 seconds left in the period. With
the Sharks buzzing the Jets net, Kiefer Sherwood moved the puck up top where
Mario Ferraro stepped into a big shot. Comrie made the initial save, but Eklund
was Johnny on the spot to slip the rebound inside the right post.
Celebrini made his mark in the Sharks record book with his 45th of the season
just 1:14 into the 3rd period.
Only a late scrum after the Sharks
pressed matters in front of Comrie late in the game was worth mentioning. San
Jose was still working to pot more scoring, whuch drew the ire of the Jets,
resulting in offsetting roughing penalties.
Game Notes:
* John Klingberg played in his 700th career NHL game, earning 3
assists in the game. He had helpers on Will Smith's 1st period goal, Michael
Misa's 2nd period goal and Maklin Celebrini's 3rd period tally.
* In
addition to his 115 point milestone, Celebrini also recorded his 18th 3-point
game of the season, falling one short of Wayne Gretzky's 19 set in the 1979-80
season.
* William Eklund recorded a goal and 2 assists. Smith added a
goal and an assist.
* Smith and Misa both record 5 shots on goal to
lead San Jose.
* The Sharks finished behind the St Louis Blues, who
beat Utah 5-3 in their season finale. They also stayed behind Nashville
