Troubling report on first overall pick Macklin Celebrini after 1st ever NHL game
He scored his first career goal last night, but it's all been going downhill from there.
The No. 1 pick of the 2024 Draft Macklin Celebrini scored his first career NHL goal just seven minutes into the first period of his San Jose Sharks’ game against the St. Louis Blues. The talented rookie scored thanks to a spinning backhander that deflected off a Blues’ defenseman Matt Kessel’s skate and gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead. The goal led to a loud ovation and chants of “Celebrini! Celebrini!” from the fans in attendance.
San Jose went on to lead the game, but then blew a 4-1 lead in the third period, only to end up losing in overtime. And then, things got even worse on Friday when team insider Sheng Peng of NBC Sports Sharks reported that Celebrini is being evaluated for a lower-body injury and is questionable for Saturday’s contest against the Anaheim Ducks.
“[Head coach Ryan] Warsofsky wouldn’t say if it was from yesterday or lingering from camp,” added Peng.
Celebrini was injured during the Sharks’ training camp when he suffered a lower-body injury in a preseason game against the Utah Hockey Club.
The injury took place at the 13-minute mark in the second period as Celebrini went in for a breakaway chance. He however ended up tripping on forward Kevin Stenlund’s stick as he was driving by the net, and crashed hard into into the boards. He was visibly in pain after the collision but managed to get up and get back in the play. After playing another shift though, he ended down the team’s tunnel towards the dressing room and missed the remainder of the contest.
Fans are now anxiously awaiting an update on the young superstar to see if the star rookie will be in the lineup as San Jose tries to get its first win of the Celebrini era.
