SAN JOSE – Will Smith set up the first goal with a pretty pass, fellow forward Macklin Celebrini helped his team retake the lead — one-upping Sidney Crosby in the process — and goalie Yaroslav Askarov made some clutch saves to help it all result in a badly needed two points.
The three rookies all played significant roles in the Sharks’ 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night that ended the team’s six-game losing streak.
“Great effort for all those three guys,” said Sharks center Mikael Granlund, whose second period goal was assisted by Smith. “They already are great players, but they’re going to be even better players in this league in the future. So good for us that we’ve got those guys.”
Now it’s a matter of what’s in store for Celebrini, Smith, and Askarov for the rest of the season.
Smith, 19, will take a career-long five-game point streak into Thursday when the Sharks travel to play the Seattle Kraken. Since being benched at the end of the Sharks’ 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild, Smith has responded with two goals and five assists in his last eight games in his most productive stretch as a professional.
After some rough patches, Smith now has 21 points, fifth most among all rookies.
“Just trying to get better every night,” Smith said after the Sharks lost 7-2 to the Florida Panthers on Saturday, adding that he continues to gain confidence “knowing that I can make plays.”
Celebrini lived another dream Monday night as he took the opening faceoff against Crosby, his childhood hero and one of the NHL’s most decorated players over the last 20 years.
What felt better to Celebrini was scoring a third period go-ahead goal that gave the Sharks the lead for good early in the third period.
Crosby scored his 15th goal of the season 24 seconds after the second intermission to tie the game, potentially laying the groundwork for another San Jose collapse in the third period. But just 3:17 later, Celebrini took a pass from Tyler Toffoli, who had created a turnover deep inside the Pittsburgh zone, and beat Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic from in close that put the Sharks ahead to stay.
“Obviously, my favorite player growing up and I used to watch him before I went out and played minor hockey games,” the 18-year-old Celebrini said of Crosby, who is now 37. “Anytime you get to share the ice with one of the best to ever play the game, it’s a really cool experience.”
Celebrini now has 16 goals and 39 points, three points behind Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, his former Boston University teammate, for the scoring lead among all rookies.
Certainly it’ll be a race worth watching, as those two, along with Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov and Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf try to stand out in the competition for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie.
Whatever happens, the Sharks coaching staff wants to do what it can to maximize the growth of their two youngest forwards, who are going to be playing a longer schedule than ever before, along with others like William Eklund.
“I think each of them are in a little bit different situations,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “I hope (Eklund) takes two steps forward. Mack might hit a wall, and Will may hit another wall in game 60-65, so we’re going to manage those things that come up.”
Eklund has 37 points in 48 games and is on track to easily surpass the 45 points he had in 80 games as a rookie last season.
“He kind of knows what’s coming,” Warsofsky said of Eklund. “So I would say each of them are on a little bit different plan as far as development and what we’ll see. But we want to continue to push the envelope here with these guys and challenge them to be better than they believe they can be.”
Askarov, 22, was stellar Monday as he made 29 saves, including stopping a penalty shot by Penguins forward Drew O’Connor with 9:41 left in regulation time.
“Woah, woah, woah, no, no, no. It is what I felt in that moment,” Askarov said about facing a penalty shot, drawing laughs. “But he didn’t score obviously, so.”
It’s unclear how long Askarov might remain with the Sharks. He was recalled from the Barracuda on Dec. 18, one day after goalie Vitek Vanecek suffered a fractured cheekbone. Vanecek, though, has been skating with the Sharks in recent days and, per coach Warsofsky, is now considered day-to-day,
Once Vanecek comes off injured reserve and is deemed fit to play again, the Sharks could keep Askarov in the NHL, and, assuming everyone is healthy at that point, carry three goalies on their roster. Another option is to assign Askarov back to the AHL, where he would presumably assist the Barracuda in its pursuit of a playoff spot.
General manager Mike Grier has other alternatives if the Sharks have three healthy goalies by the time Vanecek is good to go. But sending Askarov, who has a 4-5-2 record and a .905 save percentage in 12 games, back to the AHL appears to be the most plausible option.
Regardless, this is probably Askarov’s last season in the AHL, as he’s shown he ready to take the next step.
“He’s showing time and time again … why he’s so important to our team and our future,” Celebrini said of Askarov. “He’s one of a kind, he’s awesome in the locker room and obviously, what he shows on the ice, it’s special.”