The San Jose Sharks fought all the way back to tie their game with the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday after falling behind by three goals early in the second period.
The only thing the Sharks were missing was a finishing touch.
Barclay Goodrow tied the game with a goal at the 17:36 mark of the third period, but the Sharks could not score in overtime despite having a power play and could not beat goalie Samuel Ersson in the shootout in a 4-3 loss to the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center.
The Sharks trailed 3-0 early before William Eklund spearheaded a comeback, assisting on goals by defenseman Jack Thompson and Mikael Granlund with less than five minutes to go in the third period.
Goodrow then tied the game. After a scoreless overtime, the Sharks could not score in the shootout, as Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith failed to convert their opportunities. Matvei Michkov and Travis Konecny both beat Sharks goalie Vitek Vanecek with their shootout chances.
The Sharks trailed only 3-2 going into the third period, thanks to some inspired play from Eklund and his line.
Certainly, it could have been worse.
The Sharks gave up goals to Erik Johnson and Konecny in the first period and a breakaway goal to Michkov at the 5:09 mark of the second period to fall behind 3-0.
On the goal, Will Smith turned the puck over along the boards inside the Flyers’ zone, and two passes later, Michkov, who had split the Sharks’ defense, was in alone on goalie Vitek Vanecek before he scored his fifth of the season.
Thompson’s goal came at the 15:29 mark of the second period, as he joined the rush and redirected a centering pass from Eklund past Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson to cut the deficit to 3-1.
About three minutes later, Eklund kept moving his feet and carried the puck behind the net to Granlund, who fired it high short side past Ersson to cut the lead to 3-2.
It wasn’t publicly known until close to game time whether Celebrini would play against the Flyers.
Monday morning, Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky wouldn’t commit to playing Celebrini, saying at the time that the lineup for the game was still being finalized.
The Sharks do have a plan to give Celebrini and fellow centerman Will Smith occasional ‘development days’ through at least the first half of the season. They will at times keep them out of the lineup to help both teenagers adjust to the NHL while also trying to mitigate the risk of injuries.
Smith has had four such days this season, including Sunday night when the Sharks beat the New Jersey Devils 1-0 behind goalie Mackenzie Blackwood’s 44-save performance.
Smith drew back into the lineup Monday as the Sharks looked to win for the sixth time in eight games. Celebrini, the No. 1 overall pick in June’s NHL Draft, did not have a shot on net in 18:40 of ice time against the Devils, and until Monday, neither he or Smith had played on back-to-back nights.
Celebrini missed 12 games from Oct. 12 to Nov. 2 with a hip injury but has four points in the four games he has appeared in this season.
Before Monday, the Sharks were 2-2-0 with Celebrini in the lineup and 3-7-2 without him. Asked if Celebrini’s extended absence affected the Sharks’ original plan for him, Warsofsky did not wish to elaborate.
Michkov returned to Philadelphia’s lineup after being a scratch the last two games.
Michkov has 10 points in 13 games for the Flyers so far this year, and he, Celebrini, and Smith are considered three of the leading candidates to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie this season. Michkov was selected seventh overall by the Flyers last year, three spots after the Sharks drafted Smith.
WALMAN STILL OUT: Defenseman Jake Walman missed his fourth straight game Monday and remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury he sustained in the Sharks’ Nov. 2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
Walman did not play in the Sharks’ game on Nov. 5 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was sat out for not coming in to get treatment on a day off, violating a team rule. Officially, he has missed the last three games because of the injury.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Sharks finish the road trip with games against the New York Rangers on Thursday and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
