Celebrini shines as Sharks pick up key points in Back to Back games

The Sharks kept things rolling over the past 2 days, picking up back-to-back wins Tuesday and Wednesday nights, with a 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets and a 4-3 OT win over the Kings, respectively. Improving their point totals to 47 on the season, just 2 points out of first in the Pacific in an extremely tight division race. 

Against the Blue Jackets, the Sharks got off to a strong start, holding a 2-0 lead through the end of the 2nd, thanks to goals from Regenda and Wennberg, in addition to strong play from backup Alex Nedeljkovic. Columbus would get one back just before the 3rd period, but the Sharks would keep the pressure on in the 3rd, where Zack Ostapchuk scored on a breakaway goal after an impressive show of speed to reach a loose puck down the middle of the ice against the Columbus defender. 

Two empty-netters later, the Sharks walked away with a 5-2 win and bounced back from their 7-3 loss to the Lightning this past weekend. 

Newly extended Alex Wennberg was their best player; the former Columbus Blue Jackets 1st-round pick put up 3 points against his former team and was on a mission all night to show why he deserved his 3-year, $ 18 million-dollar extension. 

Moving to Wednesday, the Sharks took on their old rival, the LA Kings, in a game that may have reignited their old feud. Both teams were sitting at 45 points, and with the Pacific so tight, this game had more of a playoff feel to it than past meetings.

After trading goals throughout the game, the Kings took a 3-2 lead with 2 mins left in the 3rd on what was a gassed Sharks team at that point. It looked all but over, but as has been the norm this season, Macklin Celebrini took over the game and scored a beauty with about a minute left. Intercepting the clearing attempt, dancing around the King's defender, and fighting off a stick check to fire the puck past Keumper to tie the game. It was a moment of brilliance for the young superstar.

Heading into overtime, the Sharks once again on the backfoot, Celebrini intercepted a Kempe pass at the point, creating a two-on-one, and after freezing Kuemper, he found Eklund for the empty cage. 

The Sharks as a whole didn't play this game horribly, but Celebrini single-handedly took a close game and got the Sharks over the finish line with the Win. A direct testament to how important he has been to the Sharks' success. Celebrini has 67 points in 43 games and is currently riding a 12-game point streak.

Sharks will have a tough road ahead of them with three straight sets of back-to-backs over the next 2 weeks against the Stars, Knights, Capitals, Red Wings, Panthers, and Lightning. This is probably the toughest stretch for the team this season and will be a big test for the young club.