RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Macklin Celebrini set up San Jose’s first two goals to tie for the NHL assists lead and added an empty-netter, helping the Sharks beat Carolina 4-1 on Sunday night for their first road victory over the Hurricanes since 2018.
Celebrini tied Edmonton star Connor McDavid for the assists lead with 28, and moved a point ahead of McDavid for second in the scoring race with 43 — six behind Nathan MacKinnon of Colorado.
The Sharks had lost six in a row in Raleigh since a 3-1 victory Feb. 4, 2018 — when Celebrini was 11 years old.
Collin Graf, John Klingberg and Alexander Wennberg also scored, and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 29 shots against his former team.
Jordan Staal scored for the Hurricanes, and Pyotr Kochetkov made 18 saves in his first loss in five starts this season. The Hurricanes dropped to 3-3-0 with a game left on their homestand.
Celebrini found Klingberg in the slot for a one-timer at 7:54 of second period to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead. Wennberg scored off a rebound on a 4:46 to go in the period.
Nedeljkovic was particularly sharp in the third period with 16 saves. Celebrini capped the scoring with the empty-netter with 1:20 left.
The Hurricanes kicked off a celebration of the 20th anniversary of their 2006 Stanley Cup champion team on Sunday. Most of the players, and former coach Peter Laviolette, were at the game and will be honored on the ice Tuesday night before a home game with Columbus.
Up Next
Sharks: At Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
Hurricanes: Host Columbus on Tuesday night.