If you blinked, you probably missed another goal. Sunday night in St. Paul was pure hockey mayhem — five lead changes, a teenager stealing the show, and a fanbase collectively questioning its blood pressure. Macklin Celebrini, the 18-year-old future of the San Jose Sharks, slammed the door shut 3:47 into overtime, capping off a 6–5 rollercoaster win over the Minnesota Wild that felt less like a hockey game and more like a stress test.
San Jose came out swinging like they were tired of hearing about “the rebuild.” The first ten minutes were crisp, confident, and straight-up dominant. William Eklund — whose swagger grows by the week — opened the scoring with a power-play bank shot that bounced off Jonas Brodin like a billiard trick at 5:28.
Then came the kid moment: Michael Misa, in just his handful of NHL games, found himself at the backdoor, cleaned up a rebound, and suddenly it was 2–0 Sharks. “Easiest first goal I could ask for,” he said after the game, grinning like someone who knows the hockey gods smiled on him.
But if you’ve watched the Wild this year, you know they’re allergic to boring hockey. Marco Rossi and Marcus Johansson went tag-team mode late in the first, scoring just 32 seconds apart to tie it 2–2. The Kaprizov-to-Rossi connection looked like vintage chemistry — a flicker of what Minnesota fans wish they saw more often.
Second period, same story: the Wild blinked, and the Sharks punished them. Eklund, buzzing like a guy who’s decided “sophomore slump” isn’t in his vocabulary, scored again at 11:15 off a slick setup from Philipp Kurashev after forcing a Kaprizov turnover. Then, before the PA announcer could even finish the goal call, Ryan Reaves — yes, Ryan Reaves — redirected one home to make it 4–2.
It was the kind of sequence that makes coaches tear up clipboards. One moment you’re feeling the comeback energy, the next you’re down two and wondering if the hockey gods are trolling you.
Give Minnesota credit — they refused to fold. Ryan Hartman (because of course it’s Hartman) ripped a power-play goal in the slot to make it 4–3, limped off after a brutal hit from Dmitry Orlov, then came back like an action hero who refuses to stay down.
Tyler Toffoli responded at 7:52 with a nasty finish off a Celebrini backhand feed on the power play — 5–3, Sharks again — but the Wild still weren’t done. Rookie defenseman Zeev Buium, who’s quietly been one of their few bright spots this stretch, wired one from the blue line to cut it 5–4, and suddenly the crowd was alive again.
Then came the dagger that wasn’t — Joel Eriksson Ek, Minnesota’s heartbeat, tipped in Kaprizov’s wrister through a mess of bodies with just over two minutes left. 5–5. Bedlam.
By the time overtime rolled around, it felt like a coin flip. Kirill Kaprizov was creating chaos in the offensive zone. Askarov — the Sharks’ goalie, not the Wild’s — looked composed but overworked. Then came the moment: Brock Faber fired one that Askarov kicked out hard, and before anyone could blink, the puck was heading the other way.
Celebrini took the rebound feed, found daylight, and absolutely torched Jesper Wallstedt on the breakaway. A flick of the wrist, glove side, lights out. Sharks 6, Wild 5.
Just like that, San Jose avoided another “close but no cigar” loss and stole a win on the road. Celebrini now has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in his last four games — that’s not just a hot streak, that’s a declaration.
Let’s be real: this game was the Macklin Celebrini Show. A goal, two assists, and yet another night proving the kid’s not just ready for the NHL — he’s already shaping it. He’s got six career three-point games before turning 20, more than names like Stamkos and Kane at that age. That’s absurd company.
Eklund deserves flowers, too. Two goals, an assist, and enough confidence to make defenders question their life choices. He’s starting to look like the guy the Sharks envisioned when they drafted him.
For Minnesota, Kaprizov quietly notched his 400th career point (190 goals, 210 assists) in just 329 games — faster than anyone in Wild history. He was everywhere, dishing three assists and dragging his team into overtime like he always does.
And Rossi? The kid’s becoming one of the few consistent sparks in an otherwise murky start to the Wild season.
Coach Ryan Warsofsky didn’t mince words after the game: “We took another penalty and superstar players, that’s where they get their feel.” Translation — we woke up the Wild.
He’s not wrong. Every time San Jose got comfortable, they handed Minnesota a power play and momentum. The Wild went 2-for-4 with the man advantage, both goals coming in moments where the Sharks had the chance to bury them.
Still, every response from San Jose — every counterpunch, every bounce-back goal — spoke to a team finally starting to find its backbone.
San Jose isn’t scaring anyone yet, but this win mattered. They’re 2-5-2 — not pretty — but a .500 road trip and back-to-back games where the offense clicked means something for a team everyone left for dead a week ago.
Celebrini’s rise is the obvious headline, but there’s something brewing underneath — chemistry, confidence, whatever you want to call it. You can feel it.
For the Wild? It’s getting dark early. That’s three straight losses and six in their last seven (1-4-2). The vibes are off. The effort’s there, sure, but moral victories don’t show up in the standings. And for a team built around Kaprizov’s prime, time’s ticking.
Celebrini’s overtime winner wasn’t just a goal — it was a preview. San Jose’s future is here, and it wears No. 71. The Wild, meanwhile, are stuck in hockey purgatory — too talented to tank, too inconsistent to contend.
Minnesota fought hard, but the night belonged to the rookies. And when Macklin Celebrini’s gliding in alone on your goalie, you already know how this movie ends.
Sharks 6, Wild 5 (OT).
Another wild one in St. Paul — emphasis on wild.
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