Macklin Celebrini misses San Jose Sharks pracice with lower body issue

SAN JOSE – One night after his spectacular NHL debut, San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini missed Friday’s practice with an injury, leaving his status for Saturday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks in question.

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said after Friday’s practice that Celebrini had a lower body ailment and was being evaluated, and could not say whether the 18-year-old center might have to miss the team’s second game of the season.

Warsofsky also wouldn’t confirm whether Celebrini’s lower-body injury is related to the one that kept him out for part of the preseason. In an Oct. 1 game against the Utah Hockey Club, Celebrini aggravated a lower-body injury, left midway through the second period, and didn’t play in the Sharks’ final two exhibition games.

Celebrini scored the first two points of his NHL career on Thursday before a raucous sellout crowd at SAP Center as the Sharks built a three-goal lead over the St. Louis Blues in the second period. Celebrini scored the first goal of the Sharks’ season at the 7:01 mark of the third period and later assisted on a goal by Tyler Toffoli.

But the Sharks let up and allowed three goals in the third period, including the tying goal with 47 seconds left in regulation, before Brayden Schenn scored just 45 seconds into overtime to give the Blues a 5-4 win.

Celebrini had 17:35 of ice time in the game. His last shift of the third period came with less than four minutes to go, and he was on the ice for the start of the 3-on-3 overtime. He spoke with reporters afterward, saying his NHL debut was “everything I thought it would be for my first game, and it was an amazing experience and one I’ll cherish for my whole life.”

Celebrini, at 18 years and 119 days old, is the youngest Sharks skater to have two points in his NHL debut. He replaces Marco Sturm, who was 19 years and 26 days old on Oct. 4, 1997, when he had a goal and an assist in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Celebrini’s goal not only set off the capacity crowd at the Shark Tank, it was also the second-fastest by a No. 1 overall pick in his NHL debut in league history. Mario Lemieux, selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1984, scored 2:59 into his debut on Oct. 11, 1984. Both players scored on their first career shot on goal.

“Good for him to get one early, get that off (his) back,” Sharks forward Luke Kunin said of Celebrini. “He’s a special player, right? So we want him to be comfortable and keep getting better every game. He’s a huge part, obviously, for us. So I thought he was really good.”

Without Celebrini on Friday, Warsofsky moved Mikael Granlund into the top-line center spot as the team tried to correct the issues that led to the bitter overtime loss. Granlund centered a line with Toffoli and William Eklund, with Danil Gushchin cycling in and out. Klim Kostin took Granlund’s spot on the second line with Will Smith and Fabian Zetterlund.

Warsofsky said he hadn’t finalized any lineup decisions, whether or not Celebrini is able to play.

Thanks in part to the Blues’ forecheck, the Sharks had a handful of puck management issues early on and were outshot 21-7 in the first 16 minutes of the first period. San Jose found its game in the second period, swarming the puck and creating more chances as they outshot the Blues 17-7.

The Sharks felt they sat back too much in the third period, especially in the first few minutes, as St. Louis scored twice in the first 6:11 to cut San Jose’s lead to one.