MINNEAPOLIS — In another season, this is a game that the San Jose Sharks might have given up for lost.
Down 1-0 going into the third period but dominated in the middle frame by the Minnesota Wild, the Sharks looked like they were running on fumes.
“It’s something we talked about after the second period, probably in years past, we punted this game and just moved on and took the loss,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “Whether it’s 2-nothing or whatever it was.”
This isn’t years past.
The San Jose Sharks now appear to have a bona fide superstar in Macklin Celebrini and they’re getting elite goaltending from Yaroslav Askarov.
Celebrini, in a mark of greatness, was bottled up for two periods and in the midst of one of his worst performances of the season. But the Wild gave him a sliver of space in the third period and OT, and the 2024 No. 1 pick made brilliant passes to Will Smith and Collin Graf to win the game.
WILLMACK CANNOT BE STOPPED!🚨
👦🏼🥛🍪👦🏻 #TheFutureIsTeal pic.twitter.com/Pq3YT9Ewev
— SnipeCity420 (@SnipeCity420) November 12, 2025
Collin Graf from Celebrini, game winner couldn’t have happened to a more deserving player! 🦈🚨 #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/dSVyhrNGiT
— SnipeCity420 (@SnipeCity420) November 12, 2025
Askarov has been willing the Sharks to wins in November, 4-0-0 with a .963 Save % so far this month, and in three of his last four victories, against the Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, and Wild, San Jose has been soundly outshot.
“It’s a confidence thing, right? You have confidence that they’re gonna make the save,” Graf said. “Obviously, you’re still doing everything you can defensively, but it allows us to start rolling.”
In another season, this is a Sharks’ victory…a moral victory.
“That’s over. We’re done punting games. We’re done [just] saying we’re competitive,” Warsofsky said, “we’re trying to win hockey games.”
That’s easier to say now that you’ve got a superstar center, and just maybe, a star goalie.
The last time #SJSharks won 4-straight games was the beginning of the 2021-22 season, when they started out 4-0-0.
The last time that they won 5 in a row? Nov. 2019.
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 12, 2025
Don’t blame you if you frame this.
It’s felt like 84 years since #SJSharks have been in a playoff spot, right? pic.twitter.com/91l03ws7op
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 12, 2025
Will Smith
Smith, on Askarov:
He was unbelievable. He’s been really good for us, and we wouldn’t win that game if it wasn’t for him.
Smith, on his power play goal:
We’re coming with a good amount of speed. The other times, it wasn’t working. Luckily that one we kind of had a good rhythm, and everyone kind of stuck to their routes for that break-in and worked out.
Collin Graf
Graf, on his OT goal:
Yeah, just came out there and puck got to Mack and I just skated to the net with my stick on the ice. I knew he’d be able to find me, and once I got it, I just tried to make a quick play, and it was fortunate to go in.
Graf says Goodrow played a rap song between 2nd and 3rd periods to get the guys going. Askarov says Goody has done it a couple times recently and it’s worked. Neither could ID the song
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 12, 2025
Graf, on how well the San Jose Sharks goaltenders are playing now:
It’s a confidence thing, right? You have confidence that they’re gonna make the save. Obviously, you’re still doing everything you can defensively, but it allows us to start rolling.
Yaroslav Askarov
Askarov found out just a couple hours before puck drop that he was starting.
He smiled big, when asked how locked in he is now, “Feels good.”
He’s 4-0-0 in November with a .963 Save %
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 12, 2025
Ryan Warsofsky
Warsofsky, on how long that Nedeljkovic will be away from the team: “We don’t think it’s too long”
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 12, 2025
Warsofsky, on song that Barclay Goodrow is playing between periods to get the San Jose Sharks going:
No, I don’t know the name of it. It’s happened a couple times this year. We’ve had some slow starts, and I think Barclay Goodrow is the one that puts the music on, to get the guys going. Hey, whatever it takes. I’ve always said that I don’t really care what gets you ready to play a hockey game, as long as you get ready and you give us everything you got.
Warsofsky, on #SJSharks attitude going into the 3rd period, down 1-0 but creating little offense: “It’s something we talked about after the second period, probably in years past, we punted this game and just moved on and took the loss. Whether it’s 2-nothing or whatever it was.…
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 12, 2025
Warsofsky, on how hard that the Wild checked Macklin Celebrini:
Eriksson Ek is one of the most underrated centers in this game. The way he checks, he’s one of the best, man. He’s really hard to play against there. [John Hynes], he does a good job with their structure, but their guys, they check, this is a tough match-up for us, and they did a good job on Mack. And we try to get away from it there a little bit. But they do a good job of taking away time and space, and that’s something we couldn’t really generate until really the third period.
Warsofsky, on switching Collin Graf with Tyler Toffoli on the top line:
Just gives us a little bit pace. He had his legs tonight, so we thought we made that little switch.
Warsofsky, on flip-flopping Shakir Mukhamadullin and John Klingberg in the pairings:
Just get Mukh off his right side there. He was getting into some tough spots. So we’ll look at it again. Hasn’t played a lot of hockey, so gonna continue to work with these young defensemen.
Warsofsky, on how good that William Eklund was in his return:
Eky was really good. We talked about Mack being on a mission. This kid’s on a mission as well.
Third period, dominated, made plays. He just doesn’t have a give in his body. He just wants to work and compete and he wants to help this organization win hockey games. And you can just see it. It’s all over him.
He’s grown a lot. He’s grown a lot as far as being that guy that has his B-game and still impacts [with] it. That’s something that Mack and Will will learn as well.