Sharks Win a Chances Game Behind Celebrini and Smith
Askarov backs a young attack while Florida rings two posts in San Jose.
San Jose didn’t need more attempts; they needed cleaner ones — and they got them. The Sharks generated chances worth more goals than the final box shows, finishing with 3.87 expected goals (how many their looks were worth), even while Florida pushed more shot attempts.
That tilt came from the kids. Macklin Celebrini drove the attack with three assists and seven shots, repeatedly putting pucks into dangerous spots, while Will Smith cashed the big moments with two goals and an assist. Luca Cagnoni added a goal and helper from the back end to round out the finishing. In net, Yaroslav Askarov provided the extra sliver of value a one-goal game needs; his night came in at +0.62 goals saved above expected, meaning he turned aside more than the shot quality predicted.
Florida’s push wasn’t empty. Eetu Luostarinen buried two, Matthew Tkachuk added one, and both Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart struck iron — two near-misses that could have flipped it. The Panthers had volume; the Sharks had the cleaner looks and the last save.