Macklin Celebrini Had 110 Points and the Sharks Still Lost Their Season

The San Jose Sharks had everything they needed on Saturday night and walked away with nothing. Macklin Celebrini racked up his 109th and 110th points of the season, the team was playing at home in their season finale, and they still managed to lose 4-3 to the Vancouver Canucks in a shootout. This loss doesn't just sting because of the result. It keeps San Jose five points back of the Los Angeles Kings, who currently hold the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

How the Sharks Blew This One Away

San Jose got out to a 1-0 lead early when Igor Chernyshov scored at 16:19 of the first period off a Celebrini faceoff win and drop pass. The Sharks pushed it to 2-1 in the second when Tyler Toffoli converted after a Sam Dickinson break play. Then Chernyshov struck again at 12:44 to make it 3-2, with Celebrini setting him up for a wrist shot. The Sharks had the game in their hands.

Vancouver wouldn't go away though. Jake DeBrusk tied it 2-2 on a power play at 17:37, and Teddy Blueger forced overtime with 3:00 left in regulation. The shootout went all the way to six rounds before DeBrusk and Linus Karlsson buried the winner for the Canucks.

The Damage and What's Next

Yaroslav Askarov made 38 saves for San Jose. Kevin Lankinen turned in 28 saves for Vancouver (23-48-8, 54 points), a team that had lost four straight and nine of their last 10 before this game. The Sharks are now 37-34-8 with 82 points and have dropped three straight. Vancouver has already been eliminated from playoff contention, so this was about the Canucks playing spoiler, and they did exactly that.

The Sharks still have time to make noise, but they're running out of it. Every point matters when you're chasing a playoff spot, and leaving this one on the table at home stings.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.