Last night all 32 teams in the NHL faced off in the Frozen Frenzy. 16 games, with the San Jose Sharks matching up against the Boston Bruins to cap off the night. Although the Sharks lost 6-3, there were some positives to come out of this game. Specifically the performance of Swedish sensation, Ivar Stenberg, who recorded not only his first NHL goal but also his first multi-point game. In addition to Stenberg, Jacob Trouba recorded his first goal in a teal sweater.
Stenberg’s goal came directly from the feed of Macklin Celebrini on the Sharks’ top powerplay unit. Using his great positional awareness, Stenberg set up on the goalpost aware of the developing play with Celebrini. His spot beside the net made it easy for Celebrini to get the puck through traffic, onto his stick, and into the back of the net. Stenberg’s positioning was so perfect it would’ve been nearly impossible for him to have missed the net. Speaking on Celebrini’s vision, Stenberg said he knew Macklin would be able to find him on the post.
The Celebrini-Stenberg connection continued to thrive on the powerplay, with Ivar Stenberg setting up Macklin Celebrini for a goal. Using his immense skating ability to distract opponents, Stenberg managed to drag three of the four Bruins over in his direction at the far boards, completely freeing up Celebrini. Stenberg passed the puck cross-ice to Celebrini, who shot a classic one-timer straight into the back of the net. Celebrini’s goal would be the 110th goal scored on the hectic night of hockey. The two’s goals elevated the team’s powerplay success rate to 50%, a significantly better performance than the prior matchups.
However, don’t expect any major changes to the top line. Igor Chernyshov finally was placed back into the role of Celebrini’s left-wing, a position he played well last season, and fit in much better than Mason Marchment did in the slot. Although fans got to see Will Smith’s added bulk and physicality when he was filling in for Celebrini at center when he was hurt, Chernyshov makes up for much needed size on that line. His use of size and speed cannot be understated, especially when it comes to crashing the net. He’s a natural fit on that top unit, and after last night he’s likely there to stay.
Adding to that, there is almost no chance Will Smith is taken off that line. Last night he did get demoted late in the game, with Ivar Stenberg seamlessly filling in for him, but it was entirely a form of punishment. Prior to his bump down, he took a poorly thought out retaliation penalty. While sticking up for a teammate is one thing, a retaliation penalty is another…and it’s far dumber. So yes he did deserve a demotion, but only for that specific instance.
Regardless of what the final score says, last night the world saw some flashes of the greatness that will be the future of the San Jose Sharks. While it’s long been clear Macklin Celebrini is a generational talent worth every penny of his massive contract, Ivar Stenberg is showing everyone he’s going to pay off in droves. With other developing, and dominant, young players in the system, the Sharks are going to become fearsome opponents in the blink of an eye.
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