San Jose Sharks Macklin Celebrini Gets First NHL Hat Trick

Macklin Celebrini recorded his first NHL hat trick on April 9 against the Minnesota Wild. Despite the Sharks falling 8-7 in overtime, the unusually high-scoring game featured two hat tricks.

For Minnesota, Joel Eriksson Ek scored four goals in his return following a lower-body injury in practice on February 22.

Meanwhile, San Jose’s Celebrini added two assists, giving him a career-high five-point night. He logged 19:09 of ice time over 23 shifts and finished with a plus-4 rating.

Celebrini led all Sharks skaters in plus-minus and was second in faceoff wins with 10. Only Alexander Wennberg had more, winning 13.

The Sharks dropped to 20-47-11 with the loss. Their defense, weakened by trades and injuries, gave up eight goals.

Alexandar Georgiev allowed eight goals on 44 shots, finishing with 36 saves and a .818 save percentage.

Mario Ferraro, injured during the game, will miss the final four games of the season.

Celebrini Continues to Impress Amid Losses

Despite the team’s struggles, Celebrini continues to deliver standout performances.

He now has 24 goals and 38 assists, totaling 62 points. That breaks Pat Falloon’s franchise rookie record of 59 points set in 1991-92.

His hat trick was the first by a No. 1 overall pick in a rookie season since Auston Matthews in 2016.

In the game, Celebrini centered a line with Will Smith and Nikolai Kovalenko. Will Smith had one goal and three assists for a four-point night. He posted a plus-2 rating, took two shots, and played 20:44 over 22 shifts.

Nikolai Kovalenko finished with one assist and a plus-1 rating. He took one shot, delivered two hits, and played 16:19 across 19 shifts.

Other forward lines included:

William Eklund–Wennberg–Tyler Toffoli

Noah Gregor–Zack Ostapchuk–Cam Lund

Carl Grundstrom–Ty Dellandrea–Barclay Goodrow

The defensive units were:

Ferraro–Timothy Liljegren (before Ferraro’s injury)

Lucas Carlsson–Henry Thrun

Marc-Edouard Vlasic–Jack Thompson

Celebrini has nine points over the Sharks’ last five games, with three goals and six assists. All five were losses, but four were decided by one goal.

He also snapped a nine-game goal drought in the Minnesota game. His previous goal came on March 15 in a 5-1 blowout loss to the Washington Capitals.

Additional Roster Highlights and Stats

Despite playing only 8:43, Noah Gregor tallied three hits, the second most among Sharks forwards.

In a limited but effective role, Lund earned one assist and a plus-1 rating, playing 7:54 over 14 shifts.

William Eklund contributed one assist, his last assist also in a bonus-time loss three games prior. He had a plus-1 rating and logged 17:49 across 22 shifts.

D-man Timothy Liljegren skated a team-high 25:57 across 32 shifts. In the loss, Liljegren had two assists and a plus-2 rating, also blocking one shot.

Another blueline player who recorded two assists was Jack Thompson, finishing plus-1. The 23-year-old blocked a team-high four shots and played 20:34 over 26 shifts.

Mario Ferraro posted a plus-3 and led all Sharks with five shots. He played 18:04 across 18 shifts before exiting due to injury. He also delivered two hits and two takeaways.

Henry Thrun was among the second highest d-men in ice time, with 22:25. Despite a minus-1, he scored a goal and blocked two shots, though had one giveaway.

Lucas Carlsson delivered a strong outing, tying (Thompson) for the team lead with four blocked shots.

With four games remaining, the youth continue to be a rare bright spot in a bleak Sharks season.

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Featured image courtesy of San Jose Sharks on NHL.com  

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