When impossible odds were stacked agains them, the Sharks turned to the most powerful tool there is.
Love.
San Jose’s historic 6-5 comeback OT win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday at PGG Paints Arena will be one Sharks fans talk about for generations to come. But when we reflect on the miracle that occurred on that ice, it must be remembered what propelled the inconceivable scenario that played out before us.
The power of friendship.
With San Jose facing a seemingly insurmountable 4-1 third-period deficit, Penguins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon delivered what easily could’ve been a knockout blow to the Sharks’ morale by laying vicious hit on Will Smith.
Instead, it lit a burning fire under San Jose as William Eklund and Macklin Celebrini immediately came to their teammate’s defense, with the latter earning a 4:00 penalty for roughing in the process.
“You hate to see one of your teammates go down,” Celebrini told reporters after the game. “Anyone would have done that if it happened to any guy on our team. That’s the kind of group we have and how close we are … I don’t think any of us like to see our teammates go down and take a hit like that. I think [Eklund] did a good job kind of jumping in there and I felt like I had to have his back.”
“I think that’s the kind of group we have and how close we are.”
Macklin Celebrini on him and William Eklund standing up for Will Smith 🥹 pic.twitter.com/lRrjwTItau
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) December 13, 2025
While the Penguins quickly added another power-play goal — their third of the afternoon — it would be the last time the home crowd had anything resembling something to cheer for on Saturday.
With 12:27 remaining in the third period, John Klingberg continued his recent hot streak by launching a screamer of a wrist-shot past Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs.
While it might have seemed like too little, too late in the moment with San Jose still sitting in a 5-2 hole, Klingberg’s power-play goal did just enough to breathe life into a Sharks team that didn’t realize it just took the first step toward a generational victory.
Eklund, Alex Wennberg and Adam Gaudette;s gritty effort with 5:41 remaining pulled the Sharks even closer.
Penguins forward Bryan Rust appeared poised to eviscerate any hopes of an incredible comeback when he squared up to shoot on San Jose’s empty net after the Sharks pulled goalie Yaroslav Askarov in favor of throwing an extra attacker on the ice.
But as any true miracle entails, there would be some form of divine intervention as Rust’s shot narrowly missed the net and instead ricocheted off the post.
Just 22 seconds after Rust’s shocking miss, Celebrini did what franchise players do. He rose to the occasion and sent a rocket slap shot into the back of the net to pull San Jose within one goal of what seemed like an impossible lead to overcome just mere minutes before.
Before anyone watching could register what was unfolding before them, Tyler Toffoli found the back of the net with 1:38 remaining in the game to bring the Sharks and Penguins level, leaving Pittsburgh fans in attendance frozen in a solemn silence of disbelief.
Entering overtime, the Sharks placed themselves in a position where it would seem like they committed a heist to come away with the bare-minimum point they would be entitled to after storming back in epic fashion.
Surely that would be an acceptable result given where they stood down 5-1 midway through the third period, right?
Not for these Sharks, who were determined to deliver the Hollywood ending that even the most talented scriptwriters would struggle to conjure up.
With just over two minutes remaining in overtime, Klingberg dangled one of the NHL’s all-time greats in Sidney Crosby to set up a two-on-one against Penguins defenseman Kris Letang as Celebrini him to his right.
Klingberg passed the puck to Celebrini, who quicky returned it to set up a finish that will be etched into the memories of Sharks fans forever.
Klingberg being the one to put the final exclamation mark on a mind-boggling comeback victory was poetic in more ways than one.
The veteran blueliner has dealt with his fair share of adversity as he struggled to begin his first season with the Sharks. But while the outside noise echoed, Klingberg’s teammates maintained their belief in him and the body of work he has put together during his 13-year NHL career.
Klingberg now has seven points in his last four games, including three goals that played a crucial role in back-to-back comeback wins on the road for the Sharks.
The Swedish defenseman has seen it all on the ice after playing in 668 regular-season NHL games, but Saturday’s win simply resonated on a different level even for the most seasoned of veterans.
“Unbelievable comeback,” Klingberg said on “Sharks Postgame Live.” “We didn’t like our game, obviously they out shot us bad for two periods, but we felt like we were kind of hanging in there even if the scoreboard didn’t show it. Resilient group, that’s one of the craziest comebacks I’ve been a part of for sure.”
With the Sharks currently holding the Western Conference’s second and final wild card spot, this could end up being the type of victory that plays a critical role in a tightly packed playoff race.
San Jose will face more deficits this season. And not all of them will have the storybook ending that Saturday’s win in Pittsburgh did. But you can be assured this team will always fight until that final horn blares.
“We’re a team that’s grinding for sure. We’re right in it, we don’t give up,” Klingberg said. “Credit to all the guys, that’s a big thing to do stuff like that, it builds a lot of confidence.”
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