On Tuesday night, the San Jose Sharks were looking to snap a two-game losing streak as they hosted the Utah Mammoth at the SAP Center.
The Mammoth came into the game off a win after back-to-back overtime losses and losers in five of their last six games.
Game Recap
With his team looking to bounce back, Macklin Celebrini set the tone almost immediately, scoring just under two minutes into the game on a sharp-angle shot that came off a sneaky cross-crease pass from Will Smith.
Celebrini then scored his second of the game less than six minutes in, after breaking loose on a breakaway, where he beat Vitek Vanecek from the hash marks on a blocker side wrist shot.
Despite a combined three power-play chances in the second and 16 total shots, Yaroslav Askarov and Vanecek shut the door in the middle frame, keeping the game at 2-0 going into the second break.
The Mammoth finally broke the ice on J.J. Peterka’s seventh of the season just over halfway through the final period, when Lawson Crouse sprung him on a breakaway with a beautiful cross-ice pass through the neutral zone.
After getting the goal to bring them back within one, the Mammoth thought they tied the game. However, it was ruled no goal on the ice and no goal upon review, following a highly questionable goaltender-interference call.
After a failed challenge, the Mammoth killed off their 21st straight penalty and then tied the game with Peterka’s second goal with less than two minutes left in regulation, on a shot Askarov will surely want back.
In overtime, the Mammoth got caught with too many men on the ice and on the ensuing power play, Celebrini rifled a wrist shot from above the circles past Vanecek to complete the hat trick and close out a 3-2 victory.
This win was the first of four games at home for the Sharks. They will be back in action on Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings. The loss closes out a quick two-game road trip for the Mammoth. They will kick off a four-game stint at home Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights, looking to snap their three-game losing streak.
