Macklin Celebrini, the first pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, has a unique understanding of what Matthew Schaefer, the top selection in this year’s draft, is experiencing this season.
On Tuesday night, Celebrini and his San Jose Sharks teammates would like to experience what Schaefer and every other NHL player has already enjoyed this season.
The Sharks will look to become the last NHL team to earn a win when they open a four-game road trip by visiting Schaefer and the New York Islanders in Elmont, N.Y.
Both teams have been off since Saturday, when the Sharks fell to the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 and the Islanders overcame an early two-goal deficit to edge the host Ottawa Senators, 5-4.
A season-opening slump has become commonplace for the Sharks, who are winless through at least five games (0-3-2) for the fourth straight season. San Jose was 0-5-0 to open the 2022-23 campaign before enduring skids of 11 games (0-10-1) and nine games (0-7-2) to begin each of the next two seasons.
The Sharks have 13 goals, tied for the second fewest in the NHL entering Monday but more than they had through the first five games in each of the previous three seasons. Celebrini leads San Jose with five points (one goal, four assists).
The loss Saturday was the third straight regulation defeat for the Sharks, who have been outscored 14-4 by the Penguins, Utah Mammoth and Carolina Hurricanes over the last three games. San Jose hasn’t held a lead since Oct. 11, when it squandered a trio of two-goal leads in a 7-6 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
The Sharks also frittered away three one-goal leads in their season opener, a 4-3 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
“We’re frustrated — trust me, our players are extremely frustrated, as is the staff,” Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “We’re five games into this thing. What’s happened has happened. We’ve got to work. I’ve got to get this team to improve and individuals to improve. It’s on me.”
The Islanders have been far from perfect during a 2-3-0 start, but consecutive wins have eased some of their frustrations on both ends of the ice.
New York, which rode a natural hat trick from Bo Horvat to a come-from-behind 4-2 win over the two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers last Thursday, fell behind Ottawa 2-0 early in the second period Saturday and didn’t lead until Anders Lee scored with 63 seconds left.
The Islanders have been outshot 66-48 in their wins after outshooting the Penguins, Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets 108-83 in the three losses.
“I just think it was one of those nights where we’re trading rushes and trading opportunities,” Lee said following Saturday’s win. “You don’t want to see that every night, but it doesn’t matter. We found a way to grind ourselves back into this and simplify things a little bit in the third period.”
The win was the first of the season for goalie Ilya Sorokin, who preserved a one-goal deficit by turning back Shane Pinto’s penalty shot 2:23 into the third. Pinto was dragged down by Schaefer during a breakaway.
Schaefer collected the secondary assist on Lee’s first goal in the second period and has a point in each of the Islanders’ games. The 18-year-old is the youngest defenseman ever to record a point in each of his first five NHL games as well as the first defenseman selected with the No. 1 pick to do so.
