Sharks vs. Canadiens: Macklin Celebrini's Overtime Power-Play Winner Caps a Third-Period Comeback

Jakub Dobes was trying to protect his crease. What he actually did was hand Macklin Celebrini a power play in overtime, and handing Celebrini anything in overtime is a terrible idea.

Twenty seconds after Dobes went to the box for interfering with Collin Graf, Celebrini ripped a one-timer from the right circle into the top corner at 2:13 of the extra period, and the San Jose Sharks beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Tuesday night at Bell Centre. Celebrini scored twice and added an assist, and the Sharks erased a two-goal deficit in the third period one night after losing in Toronto.

Montreal Owns the Middle of the Game

Celebrini opened the scoring at 13:49 of the first with a goal born from pressure. Will Smith's forecheck rushed Jake Evans, whose pass fluttered into the slot instead of reaching a teammate. Celebrini pounced, went in alone and beat Dobes high over the right arm. Unassisted, uncomplicated, and his fourth of the year.

Montreal then spent the next 30-plus minutes making the Sharks look like a team on the second night of a back-to-back, which they were. Nick Suzuki answered at 16:38 of the first, taking a Juraj Slafkovsky pass and beating Alex Nedeljkovic glove side from the right circle. Lane Hutson picked up the second assist.

Slafkovsky then produced the goal of the night at 1:49 of the second. He beat Sharks defenseman Darnell Nurse by flipping the puck past him and collecting it on the other side, then swept across the crease and slid it around Nedeljkovic. Pure video-game stuff. Cole Caufield made it 3-1 at 14:03, snapping home a Suzuki pass from behind the net for his sixth goal.

At that point Montreal looked comfortable. The Canadiens kept San Jose away from the dangerous ice, and the Sharks were getting frustrated. Tyler Toffoli admitted as much afterward. "I think the first two periods we were chasing it and that's why we were getting frustrated," he said.

The Turning Point: Misa Finally Breaks Through

The third period flipped on a turnover. Michael Misa had already rung a shot off the post earlier in the period, according to the AP. After a Lane Hutson turnover, Misa slipped behind Noah Dobson on a drive to the net and buried Kiefer Sherwood's feed at 5:36. It was Misa's first goal of the season and it changed the temperature in the building instantly.

"We didn't want to just give them the game, we wanted to take it to them," Celebrini said. "And we felt like we didn't play our game for the first two periods and I think that showed."

The tying goal came on the power play. With Arber Xhekaj in the box following a 9:33 tangle with Michael Kesselring, Celebrini slid a one-touch pass from the right circle to Toffoli in the slot, and Toffoli hammered it home at 11:09. Two goals in under six minutes, and suddenly it was a brand-new game.

Slafkovsky could not quite explain the collapse. "We kept them away from our net for two periods, then all of a sudden they get pretty much whatever they want," he said.

Overtime and the Penalty Nobody Wanted

Overtime lasted 2:13, and the decisive moment came 20 seconds before the goal. Dobes was called for interference on Graf at 1:53, with Alex Newhook serving the penalty. Caufield defended his goalie's competitiveness but acknowledged the timing was brutal.

"We're giving the refs a little bit of an opportunity to raise their arm, and you can't do that to a group of guys like that who can make you pay on the power play," Caufield said.

San Jose proved his point in 20 seconds. Ivar Stenberg found Celebrini in the right circle, and Celebrini did not need a second touch.

Celebrini Is Already Writing History

Celebrini's night came with some genuinely wild context from NHL.com. It was the fourth overtime goal of Celebrini's career, tying Ilya Kovalchuk and Sean Monahan for the most by an NHL player 20 or younger. He has also posted at least three points in three straight games against Montreal dating to last season, with 12 points in five career games against the Canadiens. At this point Celebrini sees the Habs logo the way a kid sees an ice cream truck.

He played 23:07 and kept it humble afterward. "I think we were a little bit disconnected in the first couple (of periods), and just to have everyone on the same page, working together and getting rewarded for it was nice," he said.

Other Standouts

Alex Nedeljkovic made 31 saves on 34 shots and kept the Sharks within range during a lopsided middle stretch.

Tyler Toffoli scored the tying power-play goal in 12:18 of ice time.

Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki each had a goal and an assist for Montreal, and NHL.com noted Suzuki has five points during a four-game point streak.

Jakub Dobes made 26 saves, but the overtime penalty will be the part he remembers.

Stats That Matter

• 2 for 3: San Jose's power play, which scored the tying and winning goals.
• 0 for 2: Montreal's power play.
• 21-8: The Sharks' edge in blocked shots, a big reason Montreal's 34 shots did not turn into more goals.
• 4: Times this season Montreal has surrendered a two-goal lead, according to the AP.

What It Means

San Jose improves to 5-4-1 with 11 points and snaps a two-game skid (0-1-1), which included a 3-1 loss in Toronto on Monday. Winning on the road on the second night of a back-to-back after trailing by two in the third is the kind of result that builds belief. The Sharks are 3-2-1 away from home and head to Ottawa on Thursday.

Montreal falls to 4-3-2 with 10 points. The Canadiens had won three of their previous four, per NHL.com, and still got a point here, but blowing two-goal leads is becoming a habit worth addressing. They visit Chicago on Friday.

Closing Take

For 40 minutes this game belonged to Slafkovsky's hands and Montreal's structure. Then the Sharks stopped chasing, Misa found the net, and the Canadiens gave Celebrini the one thing you never give him: room and a reason. Some players need a dozen chances to beat you. Celebrini needed one overtime penalty and 20 seconds.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press; postgame quotes and notes as reported by NHL.com.