SAN JOSE – One night after his spectacular NHL debut, San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini missed Friday’s practice with an injury, leaving his status for Saturday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks in question.
Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said after Friday’s practice that Celebrini had a lower body ailment and was being evaluated, and could not say whether the 18-year-old center might have to miss the team’s second game of the season.
Warsofsky also wouldn’t confirm whether Celebrini’s lower-body injury is related to the one that kept him out for part of the preseason. In an Oct. 1 game against the Utah Hockey Club, Celebrini aggravated a lower-body injury, left midway through the second period, and didn’t play in the Sharks’ final two exhibition games.
Celebrini also missed the second half of a training camp practice on Sept. 24 with what was described as a lower body issue.
Celebrini scored the first two points of his NHL career on Thursday before a raucous sellout crowd at SAP Center as the Sharks built a three-goal lead over the St. Louis Blues in the second period. Celebrini scored the first goal of the Sharks season at the 7:01 mark of the third period and later assisted on a goal by Tyler Toffoli.
But the Sharks let up and allowed three goals in the third period, including the tying goal with 47 seconds left in regulation, before Brayden Schenn scored just 45 seconds into overtime to give the Blues a 5-4 win.
Celebrini had 17:35 of ice time in the game. His last shift of the third period came with less than four minutes to go and he was on the ice for the start of the 3-on-3 overtime. He spoke with the media afterward, saying his NHL debut was “everything I thought it would be for my first game, and it was an amazing experience and one I’ll cherish for my whole life.”
Without Celebrini on Friday, Warsofsky moved Mikael Granlund into the top-line center spot as the team tried to correct the issues that led to a bitter overtime loss in its season-opener. Granlund centered a line with Toffoli and William Eklund, with Danil Gushchin cycling in and out. Klim Kostin took Granlund’s spot on the second line with Will Smith and Fabian Zetterlund.
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