Mike Grier’s programs to accelerate the San Jose Sharks’ climb back to Stanley Cup contention hasn’t seen the actualization intended, Darnell Nurse, the Sharks’ big acquisition of 2026, has yet to begin adding the offense that he had as a decade-long Edmonton Oiler. Yaroslav Askarov, 24, has gotten seven of the team’s 11 starts but has been statistically outplayed by 31-year-old journeyman Alex Nedelkovic.
It’s still the long-range plan that should scare any of San Jose’s rivals out west. For Boston, it’s a rare opportunity to see one of hockey’s elite talents in 20-year-old Macklin Celebrini, who played under the radar at Boston University before becoming the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Sturdy on his skates and strong on his stick, Celebrini is already the real deal, not a someday star. He leads the Sharks in scoring with 14 points in 11 games, and his right winger, 21-year-old Will Smith, has 3-4-7 totals. The Sharks have 19-year-old Michael Misa centering their second line, as the picture becomes clear of a team with a veteran defense built around 30-somethings Nurse, Jacob Trouba and Dmitry Orlov and a forward core that is good and could become great. Kiefer Sherwood (age 31) and Tyler Toffoli (34) are the top-nine outliers up front.
Macklin Celebrini during tonight’s pregame warmup at TD Garden.
Meantime, the national pundits are crash-coursing on the 8-2-1 Boston Bruins, who are good but made to look very good by the extraordinary goaltending duo of Jeremy Swayman and Michael DiPietro.
FIRST PERIOD
Bruins coach Marco Sturm matches up Elias Lindholm against Celebrini, and a faceoff after six seconds in the San Jose end does not change that. Lindholm won the draw and the Bruins came close.
Relentless teamwork by Lindholm, James Hagens and Casey Mittelstadt yields the game’s first goal at 3:08 of the first period. The Sharks had pokes but did not gain possession, and the Bruins stuck it out until they generated the result for a 1-0 lead. Mittelstadt with the goal. Will Borgen, paired tonight with Nikita Zadorov, played a heady role supporting the Lindholm line on the goal.
Mason Marchment gets a partial, but Swayman makes the stop. Morgan Geekie to the penalty box for slashing Marchment at 4:24.
Orlov rings the post on the powerplay, scramble in front, Bruins hold on.
The Sharks’ second unit ties the game, as Misa taps in the backhand after Swayman stopped a point shot but was bothered at the top of the crease, 1-1 with 14:06 remaining in the opening period.
Kiefer Sherwood tried to feed through Hampus Lindholm, but Lindholm was quick to deny Misa the connection. Sherwood later mixed it up in the corner with Tanner Jeannot, and Mark Kastelic was ready to drop the mitts with Jacob Trouba on a nasty rebound follow-up, but Trouba turned away.
Mason Lohrei led Fraser Minten, who skated the puck into San Jose territory before running out of space and time. After the takeaway, Minten reached in and was called for tripping, putting the Sharks on the powerplay.
For the second straight time, Misa breathed life as leader of the Sharks’ second PP unit, but the Bruins’ PK was on brand, with Borgen, Zadorov and Kastelic making key plays to keep the Sharks from setting up. Misa got the puck to the net, and Sherwood banged away, but nothing else threatened, as Swayman held the fort.
Shots are 11-6 Boston with 5:42 left in the first period.
Collin Graf, the LW on San Jose’s top line, is very good at beating the Bruins’ D-zone coverage to trouble spots and holding his ground. There is elbow grease in this Sharks lineup. They attack smartly. Both Graf and Smith are Boston-area products. Celebrini is from Vancouver.
The Sharks are advancing the puck from their own end of the rink with 100-foot passes one-touched to skating teammates. Not a new idea by any stretch, but it’s been an effective tool against the Bruins in the first period tonight.
First-period shots 12-11 Boston. This game looks like a pick’em.
SECOND PERIOD
Looks like Sturm disliked the end of the first period. He has mixed his line combinations to start the second.
Celebrini hits the post from a sharp angle. Swayman played it conventionally and looked comfortable in the moment.
Marat Khusnutdinov hits Lohrei drifting into the slot, but the hard shot misses the net and hits glass.
Down goes Morgan Geekie, and Ty Dellandrea goes to the penalty box, putting the Bruins on the powerplay 2:43 into the second period.
Geekie gets two looks from the left circle, neither is on net. The second one looked like a pass attempt.
David Pastrnak gives Geekie a third look, another miss.
Sherwood alone short-handed, Swayman! It’s the only shot of the powerplay.
The Bruins are getting outworked. Their fast guys aren’t getting room, and the others are struggling to make plays, except for Mittelstadt, who’s been brilliant.
Finally, Matt Poitras works the puck low and centers to Jeannot, whose attempt is blocked. But Nedelkovic is forced to make a point-blank save on the follow-up shot by Kastelic.
TV timeout, and the Bruins are doing a lot of talking on the ice, most notably McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, who are Sturm’s power pairing tonight.
Shots are now 13 apiece.
Pavel Zacha stationed himself at the top of the crease, but his redirection of Pastrnak’s shot-pass missed the far post.
Beautiful backhand goal for Khusnutdinov to put Boston back on top (2-1) at 8:20 of the second period. Khusnutdinov made some excellent decisions to perpetuate the Bruins’ puck possession in the San Jose zone, and a nifty tip pass by Geekie helped Khusnutdinov get open ice with the puck on his stick in front of Nedelkovic. It’s Khusnutdinov’s third goal of the season, coming days after he signed a three-year contract extension.
Zadorov to the box at 9:29, San Jose to the powerplay.
Khusnutdinov and Kastelic squander a 2-on-1 with too many passes, then Misa draws the ire of the Boston crowd when he shoves Khusnutdinov hard into the Zamboni corner as the Bruins forward ragged the puck on the penalty kill.
Marchment gets an interference call resulting in 4v4 hockey.
Strange situation on the powerplay with four right shots and Zacha.
Just as Marchment’s penalty expires, Orlov trips Pastrnak, who sold a little – not a lot. Bruins back on PP with 7:18 left in the second period.
Sherwood picks off a deflected pass and scores short-handed to tie the game 2-2.
After Orlov’s penalty expires, Kastelic bears down on the forecheck and wallops Michael Kesselring, who comes up swinging. Kastelic then beats the crap out of Kesselring, who gets full marks for standing up to Kastelic (even though it was ill-advised). Down the other end, Misa had another chance to line up a Bruin, but it was Jeannot fishing in his skates for a slow-to-arrive pass, and Misa passed up the hit.
The official’s arm went up when Kesselring went down hard on the Kastelic hit, but the refs added roughing to Kesselring for initiating the fight so it comes out even on the ice – still 5v5.
Zadorov broke his stick blocking Celebrini’s shot from the high slot and had to yell at Mittelstadt to give him his stick. Once Zadorov had Mittelstadt’s stick, he looked awkward trying to play the puck (they both shoot left, but weights and measures …).
Bruins have a tic-tac… but no goal.
Toffoli was a little overenthused to crosscheck down J-J Peterka in the slot post-whistle.
Geekie and Khusnutdinov work the puck to Fraser Minten in the slot – save Nedelkovic. Pastrnak then curls a pretty pass to Jeannot, but Nedelkovic snares his wrister from the slot. Bruins are pushing in the final two minutes of the second.
Hampus Lindholm had no play and ices the puck with 11.5 ticks on the game clock.
Poitras wins the D-zone draw from Celebrini.
Period 2 ends with a 2-2 score. So there was a moment – don’t know if anyone got it on camera – when the score was 2-2 with 2:22 remaining in Period 2.
Shots at second intermission are 23-17 Boston.
