After a bumpy start to the season, Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks have found their rhythm.
The Sharks will go for their fourth consecutive victory when they face off against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night in Saint Paul, Minn. San Jose defeated the Seattle Kraken, Winnipeg Jets and Florida Panthers by a combined margin of 11-3 in the past three contests.
Celebrini has played a huge role in the Sharks’ recent success. The 19-year-old has scored a goal in each of his past three games, and he has 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 16 games this season.
The red-hot start has led to speculation that Celebrini might be selected to play for Team Canada in the Olympics later this winter. It would mark an incredible milestone in the career ascension of Celebrini, whom the Sharks selected No. 1 overall in 2024.
“I’m not trying to think about that,” Celebrini said of a possible Olympic roster spot. “A long way to go. We’re just in early November.”
The Wild will try to spoil the Sharks’ hot November. Minnesota also is feeling good after posting back-to-back victories over the New York Islanders and Calgary Flames, and it will try for its first three-game winning streak of the season Tuesday.
Minnesota is coming off a 2-0 win against the Flames. Jesper Wallstedt stopped all 36 shots he faced as he recorded his second career shutout.
Wallstedt gave credit to his teammates for the shutout.
“Obviously, the way our D plays right now is making it a lot easier for us goalies to just focus on doing our job,” he said.
Wild No. 1 goaltender Filip Gustavsson likely will get the start against the Sharks. He is 4-7-1 with a 3.19 goals-against average and an .896 save percentage this season, and he is 2-1-1 with a 2.47 GAA and a .903 save percentage in four career games against San Jose.
If Wild coach John Hynes decides to reward Wallstedt for the shutout, it would mark the backup netminder’s sixth start. He is 3-0-2 with a 2.51 GAA and a .909 save percentage this season, and he is 1-0-1 with a 3.89 GAA and an .852 save percentage in two games against San Jose.
The Sharks could counter with Yaroslav Askarov (4-4-1, 3.56 GAA, .889 save percentage) or Alex Nedeljkovic (3-2-2, 2.96 GAA, .906 save percentage). Askarov is 1-1-0 with a 3.91 GAA and an .855 save percentage in two games against Minnesota, and Nedeljkovic is 1-2-1 with a 4.29 GAA and an .860 save percentage in four games against the Wild.
Minnesota will try to maintain its strong play on special teams when it faces the Sharks. The Wild are a perfect 12-for-12 on the penalty kill over their past five games.
“The habits and details have been strong, and that’s been the big difference,” Hynes said. “We’ve been able to pressure more. We’ve been able to win some faceoffs. When we’ve had the opportunity to clear pucks, we’ve cleared pucks.”
