ANAHEIM, Calif. — In the NBA, one superstar player can literally win you a game or drag you into the playoffs by himself.
That doesn’t happen in the NHL, where the best skaters, depending on if they’re a forward or a defenseman, might play anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes a night.
That’s a third to half of a game at best, a far cry from say LeBron James, who averaged 38.7 minutes a night in his younger days with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat from 2003 to 2018. That’s over 80 percent of a typical 48-minute NBA tilt for a superstar player to directly impact.
Macklin Celebrini’s three-point performance against the Anaheim Ducks in a 5-4 victory, despite his San Jose Sharks getting outshot 42-13, might be the closest I’ve seen to an individual Sharks skater willing his team to victory that I’ve ever seen, since I started covering the team in the 2018-19 season.
That’s no disrespect to Yaroslav Askarov’s 38 saves, Adam Gaudette and Alex Wennberg’s efforts on a highlight-reel Mario Ferraro strike, and Zack Ostapchuk’s first Sharks goal.
Two of Celebrini’s points, his goal and assist to William Eklund, were off standout individual defensive efforts, and punctuated with maybe better offense.
Mack’s wrister puts the Sharks back in front 🙌 pic.twitter.com/QaiiPzqaiO
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) December 30, 2025
Mikael Granlund (64) thinks that he has an easy exit, but a Celebrini (71) backcheck forces the turnover. Tyler Toffoli (73) and Wennberg (21) — hockey is first and foremost a team game — connect with brilliant passes, and Celebrini finishes it off.
This was, by the way, off Ryan Warsofsky double-shifting Celebrini, which has become a regular end-of-period tactic for a head coach who knows who his best player is.
That’s 60 points for Macklin Celebrini!
A slippery pass to a slippery guy as William Eklund picks the corner. 🎯💦#SJSharks #TheFutureIsTeal pic.twitter.com/VWBdX6WM97
— SnipeCity420 (@SnipeCity420) December 30, 2025
Celebrini swipes the puck from 6-foot-3 Drew Helleson (14) in the corner, then gives William Eklund a patented Eklund against-the-grain pass. Eklund beats Lukas Dostal, who got pulled after this. Helleson was benched for all of the third period.
“That’s what he’s all about. The ultra-competitor, plays to both sides of the puck. Plays in all three zones,” Warsofsky said, also crediting Celebrini for a pivotal block at the end of the game that sealed the win. “We see it every night. We’re lucky that he’s on our team.”
Celebrini did all this in just 16:14 tonight, missing some time because of a puck to the face. It also wasn’t a perfect game for him, by any means, as his turnover led to a Cutter Gauthier goal that cut the Sharks’ lead in half, 4-2.
He’s only human, or 19, after all.
But who would argue, at this point, with teammate Zach Ostapchuk’s assessment?
“He’s one of the best players in the world.”
Sharks PR declined to make Celebrini available post-game.
Saw Celebrini in hallway post-game, cheek a little puffy, but he finished contest, so should be no issue for next game on New Year’s Eve. Sharks practice tomorrow at 12 PM.
Also saw Gaudette (lower-body) hobbling around…
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 30, 2025
Ryan Warsofsky
Warsofsky, on Yaroslav Askarov overcoming puckhandling gaffe:
He’s mentally tough. He’s a competitor. He doesn’t get rattled. If you want to be a good goalie in this league, you can’t get rattled. He made some huge saves…So when we needed him, he made the saves.
Yaroslav Askarov
William Eklund
Eklund, on Celebrini taking a pass from his own book to set up his goal:
Yeah, it was nice. (laughs) He sees all those openings. So I was just waiting for that pass. It’s a great pass.
Eklund, on how much fun that he’s having now compared to past San Jose Sharks seasons:
This is way more fun. I’ll tell you that. Coming to the rink every day and winning games and being in this, it’s way more fun than last year.
Zack Ostapchuk
Ostapchuk, on his first goal for the San Jose Sharks:
I mean, took long enough. (laughs) I just saw Iorio, had it up top, and I was all alone. Just got a nice stick on it. So, yeah, it felt good.
Celebrini’s teammates would be shocked if he wasn’t going to Olympics.
Eklund: “He has to be on that team. It’ll be weird otherwise.”
Ostapchuk: “If there was ever any doubt, his last couple of games, he’s just solidified himself. He’s one of the best players in the world.”
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 30, 2025