Every game feels like a playoff game right now for Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks. But if they’re going to contend in the Stanley Cup playoffs, some things have to change.
Sure, Team Teal has collected points in five straight games and sits on the verge of a Western Conference wild-card spot. Celebrini has played his part, tallying at least one point in five of six games since the Olympic break and inching closer to hitting 100 points this season.
However, the Sharks are coming off of back-to-back overtime losses and are heading into a brutal five-game road trip. As San Jose saw last weekend, opponents are extra eager to keep the teenage center off the scoresheet.
And if the Sharks don’t change the following stat around, it could be very hard for them to get into the postseason.
Record Without a Point From Macklin Celebrini
The Sharks may lean on Celebrini to lead the offense, but one player does not a team make.
Curtis Pashelka of the San Jose Mercury News notes that the Sharks are 1-12-2 when Celebrini doesn’t have a point. The one-game exception? That fight-laden 4-1 win against the Panthers in Florida.
That may not sound so bad, considering Celebrini ranks fifth in the NHL with 85 points and gets on the stats sheet nearly nightly. Then again, the last Sharks player to eclipse 100 points in a season was Erik Karlsson. And that Sharks team badly missed the Stanley Cup playoffs after going 22-44-16 in the regular season.
Celebrini leads San Jose in every stat outside of penalty minutes. (That honor goes to long-time Shark Barclay Goodrow, who has racked up 45 minutes in the sin bin this season.) Celebrini’s linemate, Will Smith, is second on the team in goals (19) and overall points (44), which is roughly half the production.
With tight-checking teams like the New York Islanders focused on simmering No. 71, the rest of the Sharks’ offense needs to take advantage and create more chances.
The Sharks Upcoming Schedule
There is a silver lining here. San Jose’s five-game road trip packs its fair share of challenges, but there will also be opportunities to get more players on the scoresheet. All five opponents are surrendering over three goals on average each game. Tuesday’s opponent, the Buffalo Sabres, is coming off an 8-7 clinic against the Tampa Bay Lightning. On Thursday, they face a Boston Bruins side that has allowed 12 goals over its last three games.
All of this leaves the door open for more Sharks to get on the scoresheet.
Fellow teenager Michael Misa has been doing that as of late, posting four points (three goals, one assist) over his last five games. Smith has also contributed four points over his last five games. If the Sharks can get more consistent contributions from top-six veteran Tyler Toffoli, and if William Eklund can break through his scoring drought (to name a few), the team has a better chance of getting into the win column on this road trip.
If these players find the back of the net regardless of Celebrini’s scoring, the Sharks’ adversaries could be in serious trouble.
This Sharks Stat Shows Macklin Celebrini Needs Backup