Celebrini Shines at Home as Sharks Hand Canucks Another Tough Loss
If you’re a Canucks fan, this was another frustrating night at Rogers Arena, and unfortunately, it followed a familiar script. The Vancouver Canucks returned from the holiday break hoping to build on a strong road trip, but instead, they were outplayed early and ultimately dropped a 6–3 decision to the San Jose Sharks. What made it sting even more was that the spotlight belonged to a hometown kid wearing the wrong jersey.
Macklin Celebrini, the North Vancouver native, continued his sensational rookie season by scoring a goal and adding an assist, extending his point streak to seven games. It was his first career win against the team he grew up cheering for, and it came in front of family and friends in the building. The moment felt full circle, and it showed in his performance. His 20th goal of the season, a clean one-timer late in the third period, effectively sealed the game and sucked the air out of the arena.
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The Canucks found themselves chasing the game almost immediately. San Jose jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the opening minutes, capitalizing on loose coverage and some chaotic play in front of Thatcher Demko. Vancouver did respond with a power-play goal from Linus Karlsson, set up nicely by Conor Garland, but momentum never fully swung back their way. Defensive breakdowns continued to creep in, and puck luck didn’t help either, as one Sharks goal was redirected off a Canucks player and into their own net.
Marco Rossi did provide a brief spark early in the third period, scoring his first goal as a Canuck to cut the deficit to one. For a moment, it looked like Vancouver might push back and turn the game around. That hope didn’t last long. A power-play goal by Igor Chernyshov, his first in the NHL, restored San Jose’s cushion, and from there, the Sharks stayed composed while the Canucks struggled to find another gear.
Garland was easily Vancouver’s most noticeable forward, factoring into much of the offense and showing his usual energy, but even he admitted afterward that the result was deserved. Demko made several strong saves, yet the defensive support in front of him was inconsistent, especially early on when the game slipped away.
The bigger concern is the trend at home. Despite solid road form, Vancouver continues to stumble in its own building, where wins have been hard to come by all season. With another road game coming up quickly, the Canucks are running out of time to fix their home-ice issues. For now, this night belonged to Celebrini, while Vancouver was left searching for answers once again.
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