Sharks fans get glimpse of what to expect from Celebrini, Smith

The San Jose Sharks' exciting, if sloppy, 6-5 slugfest win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night provided a glimpse of what fans can expect from rising stars Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.

The Sharks and Rangers traded leads until Smith ended the game in overtime on a beautiful one-timer.

Here’s a look at the game-winning tally:

The goal was possible due to a complete breakdown in defensive coverage by the Rangers. Smith took the shot and blasted it past Igor Shesterkin. Sheskterkin had put up mind-shocking numbers entering the game on Thursday night. However, the Sharks made sure to spoil those numbers by tagging the Russian netminder for six goals.

The half-dozen tallies aside, the win provided Sharks fans with plenty to look forward to. Firstly, the young Sharks squad notched its first win of the season. That was cause enough to celebrate. But beyond that, the Celebrini-Smith combo could be one that NHL fans could enjoy for years to come.

In a way, seeing Celebrini and Smith combine for five goals and nine points is reminiscent of the early Connor McDavid-Leon Draisaitl days. The Oilers’ combo has been lethal for the better part of a decade.

Coach after coach has teamed up the two superstars to give the Edmonton Oilers a turbocharge whenever the team has needed to step on the gas.

On Thursday night in New York, Sharks fans, and NHL fans as a whole, got to see the first glimpses of what the next McDavid-Draisaitl combo could be.

Yes, it’s still too soon to call the duo a superstar combo. But then again, these young men took an experienced, veteran club to the cleaners. The win wasn’t spotless. It was a bit sloppy, if anything.

But when looking under the hood, there’s plenty to be optimistic about. The Sharks have a bright future. While this season may be another bottom-three finish, the seeds are there for what could be the most fascinating team the NHL has seen in a long time.