{"id":554319,"date":"2026-04-17T06:31:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T06:31:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/554319\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T06:31:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T06:31:22","slug":"san-jose-sharks-beat-winnipeg-jets-as-macklin-celebrini-breaks-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/554319\/","title":{"rendered":"San Jose Sharks beat Winnipeg Jets as Macklin Celebrini breaks record"},"content":{"rendered":"

Macklin Celebrini put a historic exclamation point<\/a> on a turnaround season for the San Jose Sharks.<\/p>\n

With the Sharks facing\u00a0the Winnipeg Jets\u00a0on Thursday night, Celebrini had two assists in the first period<\/a> and scored at the 1:14 mark of the third, giving him 115 points on the year as he broke the franchise\u2019s single-season scoring record set by Joe Thornton<\/a> in 2006-07.<\/p>\n

Celebrini, 19, assisted on goals by Igor Chernyshov and Will Smith, and Collin Graf, Michael Misa, and William Eklund also scored as the Sharks earned a season-ending 6-1 win<\/a> over the Jets at Canada Life Centre.<\/p>\n

Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic finished with 25 saves as the Sharks ended the year with 86 points, a 34-point improvement over last season when they had the NHL\u2019s worst record at 20-50-12.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was just a good way to end the season,\u201d Celebrini said. \u201cWe wanted to end on the right note. \u2026 That kind of hockey is fun when you\u2019re making plays, getting chances, and playing the puck around. I think that\u2019s when hockey is the most fun. So, we were just enjoying it.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the Sharks\u2019 first goal, Celebrini sent a between-the-legs pass along the blue line to Eklund, who fired a shot on net that was stopped by Jets goalie Eric Comrie. Chernyshov then beat Comrie on a second effort, scoring on his own rebound for his ninth goal of the season.<\/p>\n

The Sharks (39-35-8) then took a 2-1 lead after Celebrini sent a puck to Chernyshov inside the Jets\u2019 blue line. John Klingberg then took control of a loose puck and gave it to Celebrini, who fired it over to an open Smith for his 24th of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know (Celebrini) can give me the puck, so I just try to get open for him,\u201d Smith said on NBC Sports California during the first intermission. \u201c(Klingberg) made a nice play there, too, jumping up. All around good play.\u201d<\/p>\n

On his goal, Celebrini took a pass from Klingberg in the slot and fired a shot past Comrie for his 45th goal of the season.<\/p>\n

With his goal, Celebrini also moved into sole possession of second place on the Sharks\u2019 single-season goal-scoring list. Patrick Marleau scored 44 goals in 2009-2010, and Owen Nolan scored 44 in 1999-2000.<\/p>\n

Jonathan Cheechoo holds the Sharks\u2019 record for goals in a season with 56 in 2006-07.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat people don\u2019t realize is, he is an unbelievable human being, and that\u2019s how special he is,\u201d an emotional Warsofsky said of Celebrini. \u201cHe\u2019s got a high character \u2014 you can tell he was raised with some really good parents. It\u2019s hard to put into words because he\u2019s a special kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

History \ud83e\udd79 pic.twitter.com\/ZVT2zCnYcB<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) April 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Thornton was 27 when he set the mark 19 years ago, playing in all 82 Sharks games that season. Thornton, inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame\u00a0last year, broke the team record set by Cheechoo in 2005-06 when he had 93 points in 82 games.<\/p>\n

Celebrini\u2019s 70 assists are the fifth-most in team history. Thornton holds the team record with 92 in 2006-07.<\/p>\n

Celebrini finishes the year as the NHL\u2019s fourth-leading scorer with 115 points, as he scored or assisted on 45.8% of the Sharks\u2019 251 goals this season.<\/p>\n

That percentage of a team\u2019s goals over the course of a season is the highest-ever for a teenager in NHL history, eclipsing Wayne Gretzky\u2019s mark of 45.5% during the 1979-80 season when he was 19. That year, Gretzky scored or assisted on 137 of the Edmonton Oilers\u2019 301 goals.<\/p>\n

Celebrini has steadily produced offense throughout the season. He had 37 points in 26 games in October and November, averaging 1.42 points per game. From the start of December to the start of the Olympic break, Celebrini averaged 1.52 points per game, scoring 44 points in 29 games.<\/p>\n

After an emotionally draining performance at the Milan Olympics, where he helped Canada to a silver medal, Celebrini had 31 points in the Sharks\u2019 next 26 games, or 1.19 points per game.<\/p>\n

Eklund finished with a goal and two assists, and Klingberg had three assists in what was his 700th career NHL game. Klingberg, a pending unrestricted free agent, was likely playing his last game in a Sharks uniform.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been a really good pro for us,\u201d Warsofsky said before the game. \u201cHe\u2019s a young man who\u2019s played a lot of good hockey in his career in the National Hockey League, and has been through a lot (with) the injuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s had probably an up and down season, and I think that makes it important for him to hit this milestone. It\u2019s a hard milestone to hit. There aren\u2019t many people who get to 700, let alone one. It\u2019s something that we made sure we wanted to get to for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along with Klingberg, Pavol Regenda, Philipp Kurashev, and Ty Dellandrea also drew back into Thursday\u2019s lineup. The three forwards had been healthy scratched multiple times in recent weeks as the Sharks tried to remain in the mix for a playoff spot.<\/p>\n

Coming out of the lineup Thursday were defenseman Vincent Desharnais and forwards Adam Gaudette, Tyler Toffoli, and Alex Wennberg.<\/p>\n

Celebrini, Barclay Goodrow, and defensemen Dmitry Orlov and Mario Ferraro all played in their 82nd game of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s quite the achievement in this day and age, especially to all the bumps and bruises that you play through,\u201d Warsofsky said. \u201cThose guys have done a really good job of playing some heavy minutes for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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