Quick Bites: At least we're right

While the end result was underwhelming, the San Jose Sharks picked up the team's first point of the season in the first game of the season, no less. The Sharks lost 5-4 to the St. Louis Blues in overtime after blowing a three-goal lead in the third period. However, it's only the first game and so we're focusing on the positives as everyone knew this would be another difficult season.

Celebrini is coming

Despite being just 18 years old and playing in his first NHL game, Macklin Celebrini was able to overcome some of his nerves early on with the first overall pick. Less than eight minutes into the game, Celebrini scored his first career NHL goal.

NO. 1 PICK MACKLIN CELEBRINI WITH HIS FIRST NHL GOAL 🤩 pic.twitter.com/YEQ7LWQ3ZP

– ESPN (@espn) October 11, 2024

Was it the best goal? No. But it's the first of many, and there will certainly be dozens upon dozens of neat targets to pursue. We're not complaining.

However, if you want to talk about “pretty,” check out Celebrini’s second NHL point.

TYLER TOFFOLI!!

This 70s line is something 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/WxTwVCrW47

– San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) October 11, 2024

This pass from behind the net fooled the defender and goalkeeper, making it an easy pass for Tyler Toffoli, who now scored his first goal for the Sharks.

As debuts go, it wasn't bad. Celebrini had 17:34 of ice time and 1:43 on the power play. He wasn't really involved in the penalty shootout, but that's okay. That's why we have people like Luke Kunin, Barclay Goodrow and Nico Sturm.

Celebrini kept his shifts short. He didn't try to do too much. It was a good first NHL game for him.

Oh, so many centers

One of the things that stood out in the game was the number of centers on the Sharks ice. In addition to those from last season – Mikael Granlund, Kunin and Sturm – the Sharks have added new centers to the mix. Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Alex Wennberg, Barclay Goodrow and Ty Dellandrea are all listed as centers. This puts the Sharks in the enviable position of switching centers depending on the situation.

Last night Dellandrea and Sturm could be seen taking turns in the faceoff circle. Additionally, Granlund and Smith switched off depending on which side of the ice the faceoff took place.

While this luxury isn't expected to last all season, it's something the Sharks are clearly taking advantage of at the moment. Additionally, this takes some of the pressure off of Celebrini and Smith.

Smith looked a little shell-shocked at times due to the pace of the game, but Granlund was there to help him. To a lesser extent also Fabian Zetterlund. While Smith is currently centering the second line of an NHL team as a rookie, he won't be thrown in at the deep end. There are plenty of NHL-experienced centers around him to cushion the fall if he makes a mistake.

Many thanks to General Manager Mike Grier and his company for making this possible.

Sharks put the NHL on notice

Finally, the Sharks used last night's game to put teams on notice. No, San Jose is not expected to make the playoffs, but don't come to SAP Center expecting an easy exit. The Sharks won't give it to you.

The power play looks impressive. When Will Smith and William Eklund are on your second power play unit, things are looking up.

Additionally, it looks like the penalty shootout will be in the top third of the league this season. With strong penalty takers like Barclay Goodrow and Nico Sturm as well as Mackenzie Blackwood behind them, it will be difficult for teams to put the man advantage into the net.

Will the Sharks lose many games this season? Probably. The defense is not noticeably better. But if you want to beat the Sharks, you'll want to make sure you're ready to play the full 60 minutes. The team now has some scorers who can turn the game around in an instant, and they will only get better as the season progresses.

Points summary for Blues vs. Sharks – October 10, 2024

1st period
7:01 Goal in San Jose: Macklin Celebrini in front of William Eklund and Jake Walman
8:51 St. Louis goal: Pavel Buchnevich by Jordan Kyrou and Philip Broberg
17:14 Goal in San Jose: Tyler Toffoli by Macklin Celebrini and Jan Rutta

2nd period
8:26 San Jose power play goal: Fabian Zetterlund ahead of Mikael Granlund and Tyler Toffoli
17:37 San Jose goal while outnumbered: Barclay Goodrow unassisted

3rd period
2:54 St. Louis goal: Radek Faksa by Nathan Walker
6:11 St. Louis goal: Ryan Suter by Alexey Toropchenko
19:13 St. Louis goal: Justin Faulk in front of Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou

Over time
0:45 St. Louis goal: Brayden Schenn by Colton Parayko and Robert Thomas