Tyler Toffoli’s one-timer 1:58 into overtime capped a two-goal comeback, pushed Macklin Celebrini’s point streak to 13 games and rocketed San Jose to 6-1 in January—suddenly the hottest surge in the Pacific.
How the chaos unfolded
San Jose entered the third period trailing 3-2 and watched Mikko Rantanen bury his 18th of the season at 7:53 to stretch Dallas’ lead to 4-2. The Sharks had mustered only 18 shots through 50 minutes and looked headed for a quiet regulation loss.
Instead, they unleashed a four-goal tidal wave in 10:31 of game time:
- 9:28 — Toffoli rips his first, a five-on-three power-play missile that cuts the deficit to one.
- 15:01 — Adam Gaudette jams a rebound home to even the score and force overtime.
- 1:58 OT — Celebrini dishes to Eklund, Eklund slides it cross-crease, Toffoli hammers it past a sprawling Casey DeSmith. 5-4 Sharks.
The power-play clinic
San Jose finished 4-for-6 with the man advantage, their best single-game conversion rate since March 2022. Toffoli scored twice on the PP, Alexander Wennberg and Jeff Skinner added the others, and the Sharks moved from 23rd to 14th in league power-play percentage in one night.
Celebrini’s Calder case grows louder
Rookie phenom Macklin Celebrini now owns 46 assists—tied for third among all NHL skaters—and has tallied in 13 straight. His three-helper night included the primary assist on Toffoli’s winner, giving him five OT points this season, most by any freshman since Elias Pettersson in 2018-19.
What it means in the standings
The victory vaults San Jose to 48 points, one behind Calgary for the final wild-card slot and only four back of third-place Vegas. With games in hand on every Pacific contender, the Sharks have leapt from fringe spoiler to legitimate playoff threat in seven days.
Stars suddenly skidding
Dallas had won eight of nine in December but is now 1-3-1 in January. The club dropped to 26-12-4, still second in the Central, yet the once-stingy penalty kill has surrendered seven goals in its last 16 times shorthanded—an alarming 56 % kill rate that head coach Pete DeBoer must fix before a California back-to-back that continues in Los Angeles on Monday.
Next up
- Stars: Visit the Kings on Monday in a battle of Central vs. Pacific heavyweights.
- Sharks: Host Vegas on Sunday in a four-point clash that could pull them even with the Golden Knights.
San Jose is no longer just an entertaining rebuild—they’re the team no Pacific contender wants to see on the schedule right now. For lightning-fast breakdowns of every goal, trade rumor and playoff push, keep your rink-side seat right here on onlytrustedinfo.com.
