It was the type of game the San Jose Sharks probably would have lost last season. But Macklin Celebrini, in another pressure-filled situation, wouldn’t let that happen.

Seemingly in control of their game with the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night with a two-goal lead, the Sharks allowed third-period goals to Zeev Buium and Joel Eriksson Ek, whose goal with 2:18 left — after Minnesota pulled goalie Jesper Wallstedt for the extra attacker — helped force overtime.

The Sharks’ trio of William Eklund, Alexander Wennberg, and Timothy Liljegren then could not get off the ice in 3-on-3 overtime as the Wild controlled play and changed their skaters multiple times. But Eklund was finally able to get off, Celebrini came on, stole the puck from Wild defenseman Brock Faber, went in on a breakaway, and beat Wallstedt five-hole at the 3:47 mark of overtime, giving San Jose a dramatic 6-5 win.

“That’s a tough spot, especially with (the Wild players) buzzing around,” Celebrini said on NBC Sports California. “Especially when you’re tired, it’s hard to make a play. But I thought we did a great job weathering it and just kept it out of our net.”

Eklund had two goals and an assist, Tyler Toffoli, Michael Misa, and Ryan Reaves each had one goal, and goalie Yaroslav Askarov finished with 28 saves, including two in overtime, as the Sharks won for the second time in three games and finished their road trip with a 2-2-0 record. Misa’s first-period goal was his first in the NHL.

Celebrini, with five goals and five assists on the trip, now has a team-leading 15 points in nine games. He also now has an NHL-best 12 points in six road games.

“He had a very good road trip. Led the charge, and obviously he’s a huge part of our team and organization,” Toffoli said of Celebrini. “That was another great performance by him.”

Celebrini also assisted on Toffoli’s power play goal at the 7:52 mark, which restored the Sharks’ seemingly safe two-goal lead after they entered the third period with a 4-2 advantage. But the Sharks had just a 12-8-5 record in games last season in which they held a third-period lead, and were 0-0-1 in that respect this season.

The final 20 minutes were anything but clinical by the Sharks. Askarov allowed three goals but also made 14 saves in the third period, and a crucial one on Faber just seconds before Celebrini’s goal.

The Sharks returned to San Jose after Sunday’s game and will face the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday to begin a four-game homestand.

“There are some things we definitely have to clean up, especially around our net,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “People are getting to our net way too easily. So we’ll go back, we’ll look at it again. I think it’s a lesson that we’ve learned.”

Misa’s goal came at the 13:35 mark of the first period, and Reaves scored his second of the year at the 11:34 mark of the second, just 19 seconds after Eklund’s goal gave the Sharks a 3-2 lead.

On Misa’s goal, Sharks defenseman Timothy Liljegren took the puck toward the Wild net, but Wallstedt saved his shot from close range. But with Wallstedt out of position, a nearby Misa calmly poked the puck at the 13:35 mark to give the Sharks a 2-0 lead.

“It’s the easiest first goal I could ask for,” Misa said. “That’s hockey. Get to the net and try and score goals. I was fortunate enough to be in that spot.”

Misa, the second overall pick in June’s NHL Draft, was playing in his fifth NHL game Sunday and now has three points this season, collecting assists in Sharks games against the New York Islanders and New York Rangers earlier on this road trip.

With the goal, Misa became just the sixth player in Sharks history to score as an 18-year-old, joining Celebrini, Patrick Marleau, Vlastimil Kroupa, Jeff Friesen, and Milan Michalek. Marleau was the youngest to do it at 18 years and 34 days old.

“Each game, it’s getting a little bit better. I’m getting more comfortable with the little things on the ice,” said Misa, who re-entered the lineup for Sunday’s game after he was scratched Friday against the Devils.. “I’m trying to drive the play more and create plays out there. Nice win for us.”

NOTABLE

Forward Adam Gaudette, who entered Sunday’s game tied for second on the Sharks roster with three goals, sustained an upper-body injury in the second period and was ruled out of the game by the team before the start of the third. … With Misa entering the lineup, Jeff Skinner was a healthy scratch for the first time this season. Skinner came into Sunday with three goals, tied for second-most on the Sharks roster, and also had a goal called back in Friday’s game in New Jersey after it was determined Wennberg had put himself offside on a breakaway. … Defenseman John Klingberg missed his sixth straight game with a lower-body injury.

Originally Published: October 26, 2025 at 5:51 PM PDT