Rookie sensation Macklin Celebrini scored his first career overtime goal and William Eklund tallied twice to lead the host San Jose Sharks to a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday.
Tyler Toffoli and Luke Kunin also scored and Alexander Wennberg produced two assists for the Sharks, who snapped a three-game losing skid (0-1-2). Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood made 16 saves.
Dylan Larkin had a goal and an assist while Marco Kasper, Michael Rasmussen and Alex DeBrincat also scored for the Red Wings, who have only one victory in six games (1-3-2). DeBrincat’s goal came with 2:06 remaining in regulation, knotting the game at 4-all with the Red Wings’ second score in three power plays. Goalie Cam Talbot stopped 29 shots.
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Celebrini, the first overall pick in this year’s draft, scored his first game-winning goal 46 seconds into overtime by lifting a shot as he headed across the crease. It was the rookie’s fourth goal of the campaign.
The Red Wings (7-9-2) saw three leads disappear and the Sharks (6-10-4) blew a third-period advantage in the back-and-forth affair.
Larkin opened the scoring 7:28 into the game by converting a wide-open chance coming after a Sharks turnover for his 11th of the season.
Eklund replied on the power play three minutes later when he pounced on a loose puck in the slot.
Kasper responded with a power-play marker when he buried a rebound with 72 seconds remaining in the first period for his second goal of the season.
Eklund tied the clash 2-2 at 5:59 of the second period with a long shot that Talbot mishandled with his glove to net his fourth of the season. Eklund has collected two goals and four assists in a four-game point streak.
Rasmussen put the Red Wings ahead a third time at 8:11 of the second period when he chipped the puck away from one Sharks player and it ricocheted off another San Jose defender and into the cage for his third goal this season.
Toffoli tied the clash again with another late-period goal, a perfect one-timer from the slot with 41.8 seconds remaining in the second for his ninth of the season.
Kunin gave the Sharks their first lead at 6:19 of the third period. He slipped behind a defender on the rush and upon gaining the puck in the slot snapped a top-corner shot for his third goal of the season.
DeBrincat forced overtime by converting the man advantage created by tripping call on Ty Dellandrea, netting his fourth goal of the season 1:20 into the power play.
The Wings wrapped up their four-game Pittsburgh/California road trip with three points — two against the Penguins last Wednesday and one Monday night. They return home for a stretch of five home games in six games, beginning Thursday with a visit from the New York Islanders.
