Celebrini scores twice as Sharks overcome injury to beat Canadiens

Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News on Mar 14, 2026

Published in Hockey

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Macklin Celebrini scored twice, Mario Ferraro and Collin Graf each added second-period goals, and goalie Alex Nedeljkovic finished with 25 saves as the San Jose Sharks overcame an early injury to earn a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday at Bell Centre.

Celebrini scored a first-period goal and one in an empty net with 2:03 left in the third period as the Sharks improved to 2-1-0 on a five-game road trip that ends with games against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday and Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

Ferraro gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead at the 11:56 mark of the second period, as his shot from the point got past screened Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes for his fifth goal of the season and a 2-1 San Jose lead.

The Sharks again used a net front presence to add to that lead just under four minutes later, as Celebrini’s shot from inside the blue line went off Graf’s body and past Dobes, giving Graf his 18th point of the season.

Celebrini and Graf both finished with three points for the Sharks (32-26-6), who moved one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings for the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot. The Kings lost 6-4 to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.

The Sharks lost forward Igor Chernyshov to what appeared to be an upper-body injury just 28 seconds into the first period.

Chernyshov had just taken a pass in the neutral zone from linemate Will Smith when he was checked by Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson, who briefly put his right arm around the Sharks winger to try and slow him down. Chernyshov then spun around and landed awkwardly on the ice before he slid face down for several feet.

A wobbly Chernyshov then tried to stand up twice before falling back onto the ice. A Sharks trainer then reached Chernyshov and held a towel to the right side of the Russian’s face as he helped the winger to a medical room.

“That was really scary,” Celebrini told NBC Sports California during the first intermission of the incident.

Chernyshov, who did not return, was replaced by Graf of the Sharks’ top line with Smith and Celebrini. Chernyshov was playing his first game back with the Sharks on Saturday after he was recalled from the Barracuda on Thursday.

Chernyshov also mostly played alongside Celebrini when he was with the Sharks from Dec. 15 to Jan. 22 after Smith was placed on injured reserve. Chernyshov had 11 points in 15 games in that time, averaging 15:47 in ice time. Saturday’s game was the first time Smith, Celebrini and Chernyshov were on the same line.

Canadiens forward Cole Caufield opened the scoring at the 7:21 mark of the first period, beating Nedeljkovic for his 38th of the season. Celebrini tied the game at the 13:12 mark with his 34th of the season, taking a backhand pass from Graf and beating Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes to tie the game.

Nedeljkovic started his second straight game for the Sharks as Yaroslav Askarov, injured earlier this week, remained unavailable with a lower-body injury. Askarov is day-to-day, Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said.

Askarov sustained the injury on Thursday in Boston as he warmed up prior to the Sharks’ morning skate at TD Garden. Nedeljkovic started that game and made 39 saves to help lead San Jose to a 4-2 win.

Laurent Brossoit, recalled from the Barracuda of the AHL on Friday, backed up Nedeljkovic against the Canadiens and is an option to start the Sharks’ game on Sunday in Ottawa. After Tuesday, the Sharks return home to play the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday and the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.

Nedeljkovic entered Saturday with a 12-9-3 record and a .902 save percentage in 28 games. In his last 10 games, Nedeljkovic has a 7-1-1 record and a .924 save percentage.

Notable

To make room for Chernyshov in the lineup, Ryan Reaves, who played Thursday, was a healthy scratch, with Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky moving Adam Gaudette to San Jose’s fourth line alongside Zack Ostapchuk and Barclay Goodrow. Forwards Philipp Kurashev and Pavol Regenda, and defenseman Nick Leddy, were the Sharks’ other healthy scratches.

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