SAN JOSE – Macklin Celebrini scored with 1:39 left in the third period, then assisted on Alex Wennberg’s go-ahead goal with 31 seconds left in regulation time to finish off a four-point night and lead the Sharks to a dramatic 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday.
Trailing by one and with the Sharks pulling goalie Yaroslav Askarov for the extra attacker, Celebrini took a pass from Dmitry Orlov, took two strides with the puck, and beat Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal, thanks to a screen from Wennberg, to tie the game with his 40th goal of the season.
On the winning goal, and with the SAP Center crowd buzzing, Wennberg, after the Sharks set up in the Ducks zone, took a pass from Celebrini and beat Dostal, helping San Jose earn one of its most unlikely victories of the season.
Will Smith added a goal and two assists, and Askarov made 28 saves — including 12 in the first period — as the Sharks won their third straight game and moved to within one point of a playoff spot.
“The fans are here. It’s loud. We’re winning games, and we’re making a push,” Celebrini said. “This is exciting. I haven’t really been through this before, and I’m just trying to soak it up.”
Going into Thursday’s home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Sharks, with 77 points, are now tied with the Nashville Predators for ninth place in the Western Conference. Both teams are one point back of the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card spot in the West.
Wednesday’s game was the latest in a string of heart-stopping victories by the Sharks.
Igor Chernyshov scored a go-ahead goal with 1:25 to go in regulation time to help the Sharks beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 on Saturday and end a six-game losing streak. Two nights later, Adam Gaudette scored the winning goal with 22 to go in a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues.
Per Sportradar, the Sharks are now the first team in NHL history to win three consecutive games on game-winning goals within the last 90 seconds of regulation time.
“We’re not going to settle for just missing the playoffs or being close to it,” Wennberg said. “We’re going to give it our all. We’re going in to win these games. We’re going to make a push for it. The belief has always been there.”
Celebrini now has 105 points this season, just nine back of Joe Thornton for the Sharks’ single-season record set during the 2006-07 season. Wednesday’s game marked the fourth time in his brief career that he had two goals and two assists in one game.
“We can talk about him all day,” Wennberg said. “He’s a game changer. He’s the leader right here. He’s stepping up and making key plays. He’s making the difference. I feel like everyone’s (giving) a great effort: goaltending, defensively. But (Celebrini) just had a little bit extra, and it changed the game. It’s just unbelievable.”
The Sharks fell behind early in the third period.
With the game tied 2-2 in the third period, a turnover by Sharks defenseman Dmitry Orlov turned into a go-ahead goal by Ducks forward Troy Terry with 15:56 left in regulation time.
Orlov went back into his own zone to retrieve a loose puck and tried to find Wennberg in the neutral zone with a diagonal pass. But Terry intercepted the pass, put a shot on net that was saved by goalie Yaroslav Askarov, then scored his 18th goal of the season on the rebound.
Smith scored a first-period power-play goal off an assist from Celebrini, and Celebrini scored an even-strength goal 27 seconds into the third period to tie the game 2-2.
Celebrini and Smith came into Wednesday as the Sharks’ two leading scorers with 101 and 51 points this season. Celebrini has now scored or assisted on 46.9% of the Sharks’ 224 goals in 73 games this season — the highest goal share ever for a teenager. Wayne Gretzky had points on 45.5% of Oilers goals in 1979-80.
The Ducks outshot the Sharks 31-16 through the first 53 minutes of Wednesday’s game. The Sharks had managed just two shots in the first 14 minutes of the third period.
The Sharks were without rookie winger Igor Chernyshov, who was dealing with an illness. It was unclear whether Chernyshov would be available for the Sharks’ home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) scores a goal against Anaheim Ducks’ Frank Vatrano (77) in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) blocks a shot against Anaheim Ducks’ Troy Terry (19) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Zack Ostapchuk (63) fights with against Anaheim Ducks’ Jeffrey Viel (28) in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) celebrates his goal with San Jose Sharks’ Dmitry Orlov (9) against the Anaheim Ducks in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) clears the puck in front of San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) against Anaheim Ducks’ Leo Carlsson (91) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Ty Dellandrea (10) fights for the puck against Anaheim Ducks’ Ian Moore (3) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) takes a shot against Anaheim Ducks’ Jacob Trouba (65) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) controls the puck against Anaheim Ducks’ Mikael Granlund (64) in the first period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks’ Michael Misa (77) controls the puck against Anaheim Ducks’ Leo Carlsson (91) in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) blocks a shot against Anaheim Ducks’ Chris Kreider (20) in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Elmo is shown after a fight during the Anaheim Ducks game against the San Jose Sharks in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
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San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) scores a goal against Anaheim Ducks’ Frank Vatrano (77) in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Chernyshov, 20, had been playing alongside Celebrini and Smith, collecting two goals and an assist in four games on the top line. Both of his most recent goals came in the Sharks’ 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, including the game-winner with 1:25 to go in the third period.
With Chernyshov unavailable to play against the Ducks, Collin Graf moved to the top line with Celebrini and Smith, and forward Ty Dellandrea, who had missed nearly three months with a torn right posterior cruciate ligament, entered the lineup. Dellandrea was activated off injured reserve hours before Wednesday’s game.
Dellandrea, who was injured in the Sharks’ game against the Blue Jackets on Jan. 6, started Wednesday’s game as the third line right wing with rookie center Michael Misa and Tyler Toffoli at left wing.
The Sharks entered Wednesday in 11th place in the Western Conference with 75 points, two points back of the Predators for the second and final wild card spot.
After Thursday, the Sharks’ homestand continues with games against the Predators on Saturday, the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, and the Edmonton Oilers next Wednesday.
The Sharks and Ducks traded goals in the first period.
Shortly after a Sharks power play began, Celebrini took control of the puck, wheeled around the Ducks’ net, and fired a pass to Smith, who one-timed a shot past Dostal for his 22nd goal of the season at the 4:37 mark.
The Sharks had to kill three penalties – all stick fouls – in the first period, but allowed an even-strength goal to Poehling with 2:13 left.
Poehling eluded a check from Orlov inside the Sharks’ blue line, cut to the middle of the ice, and beat Askarov high to the blocker side for his 10th goal of the season.
Askarov finished with 12 saves in the first period as he made his second straight start. He made 22 saves, including 12 in the third period, in the Sharks’ win over the Blues.
San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) and San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) celebrate their 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)