{"id":536795,"date":"2026-04-02T15:59:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T15:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/536795\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T15:59:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T15:59:27","slug":"sharks-ride-string-of-late-game-heroics-into-encounter-vs-leafs-field-level-media-professional-sports-content-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/536795\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharks ride string of late-game heroics into encounter vs. Leafs – Field Level Media – Professional sports content solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The San Jose Sharks are making a habit of winning games with late goals.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter to the Sharks how they are winning. They have high hopes that the next victory will come Thursday night when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs.<\/p>\n

The Sharks (35-31-7, 77 points) came up with another rally in a 4-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. San Jose is riding a three-game winning streak and resides one point behind the Los Angeles Kings in the chase for the Western Conference\u2019s second wild-card spot.<\/p>\n

San Jose\u2019s rising star Macklin Celebrini scored his second goal of the game \u2014 and 40th of the season \u2014 with the goalie pulled for the extra attacker to tie the game with 99 seconds remaining in regulation. Alex Wennberg scored with 31 seconds left to complete the comeback.<\/p>\n

In the past week, the Sharks have won three games with goals in the final two minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, all that matters is getting that win,\u201d Wennberg said. \u201cThis time of year, this is the kind of hockey you want to play. You want to be fighting for playoffs. It\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Wennberg was the hero, the star definitely was Celebrini, who set up the winning tally to boost his point total to 105.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could talk about him all day,\u201d Wennberg said. \u201cHe\u2019s unbelievable. He\u2019s a game changer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now the Sharks will try to post another victory and climb into a playoff position. San Jose has claimed the last three meetings with Toronto, all in extra time, including a 3-2 overtime clash on Dec. 11.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll enjoy this one, but at 12:01, it\u2019s a new day,\u201d Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. \u201cAnd we\u2019ve got to get ready for Toronto.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs (32-30-13, 77 points) are all but mathematically eliminated but have won three of their past four games.<\/p>\n

The Leafs are coming off a 5-4 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks on Monday in the second contest of a four-game road trip, but that has become secondary to the future.<\/p>\n

Toronto took a big step in firing general manager Brad Treliving just before the Anaheim game, which reverberated through the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t take that lightly,\u201d forward John Tavares said after Wednesday\u2019s practice. \u201cWe know how much he cares about every single one of us, how much he believed in the group. Our job is to go out there, play for the crest and push things along \u2026 move things in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Maple Leafs, who finished atop the Atlantic Division last season, have had a disastrous campaign on so many levels, but the goal now is to finish strong.<\/p>\n

That said, everybody is wondering what the future holds for coach Craig Berube.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all came up short this year. That\u2019s on us as players,\u201d forward Max Domi said. \u201cWe definitely owe it to him to be better in the last seven games. He\u2019s a great coach and a second-to-none human being.\u201d<\/p>\n

For his part, Berube is doing his best to ignore the off-ice noise as his club plays out the string.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m focused on coaching the team,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a game; that\u2019s the only thing that I can control. Whatever happens, happens, but I\u2019m the coach here now and my focus is the team. That\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013Field Level Media<\/p>\n

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