What we learned as Celebrini hits the moment but Sharks lose to Blues in OT originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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SAN JOSE – Macklin Celebrini stole the spotlight in his NHL regular-season debut Thursday night, despite the Sharks blowing a three-goal third-period lead in a 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues in the SAP Center playful.

Celebrini, the No. 1 draft pick in 2024, scored a stunning goal less than 10 minutes into his professional career, bringing a cheering crowd of 17,435 to its feet, where they spent most of the night until the Blues celebrated their comeback.

The Sharks left the first period with a 2-1 lead and extended that lead to 4-1 in the third period. Playoff legend Barclay Goodrow scored a short-handed goal in his return to San Jose, poetically on the same goal as his heroic Game 7 winner against the Vegas Golden Knights that immortalized him in Sharks history.

However, the Blues came back with three goals in the third period when Justin Faulk’s wrist shot blasted past Sharks goalie Mackenzie Blackwood to force overtime with just 47 seconds left in regulation. Brayden Schenn ended the game with a wrist shot of his own 43 seconds into overtime, ruining the NHL debuts of Celebrini and first-year coach Ryan Warsofsky.

The loss continued a troubling trend for the Sharks, who have led the NHL by dwindling third-period margins in recent years.

Here are three takeaways from the Sharks’ opening loss:

Return of Macklin

Celebrini entered the NHL with the weight of the world on his shoulders and quickly showed he could handle it.

The 18-year-old center sent a clear message to the Blues and the league that, despite his lack of NHL experience, he is ready to make an important contribution from day one. He finished his first NHL game with two points and also had an assist on Tyler Toffoli’s goal at 17:14 of the first period.

Calm, cool and collected, Celebrini represents a new era of Sharks hockey, and his eventful evening showed what bright light could await at the end of San Jose’s ambitious rebuild.

Great Toffoli

Veteran winger Toffoli has long been a thorn in the Sharks’ side and wasted no time in endearing himself to Team Teal fans in his debut in San Jose.

The 13-year NHL veteran, who once starred the Sharks while playing for Pacific Division rival Los Angeles Kings, scored the go-ahead goal for San Jose in the first period and added an assist on Fabian Zetterlund’s power-play goal 8: 26 in the second period.

Toffoli was valued for his early leadership of San Jose’s young core, showing that his value went far beyond mentoring young stars like Celebrini, Will Smith and William Eklund.

Blackwood peppered with blues

Blackwood was under pressure all night as the Blues defeated the Sharks 40-29, and he did just enough to keep his team in the lead until the collapse in the third period.

With a new-look Sharks defense in front of him, Blackwood held his own with numerous big saves in his 35 appearances as the San Jose blueliners worked to establish a rhythm in their first game together of the regular season.

While the Sharks’ acquisition of rising star goaltender Yaroslav Askarov made headlines before the season, Blackwood’s performance on opening night proved he could be in San Jose’s goaltending plans after starting 41 games for Team Teal last season.