San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini ‘scares’ Buffalo Sabers coach Lindy Ruff

San Jose Sharks heart Macklin Celebrini has earned reward from each opposing coach throughout the league in his first two NHL seasons, and Buffalo Sabers coach Lindy Ruff It additionally took a minute Tuesday to extoll the 19-year-old’s virtues.

Besides seeing him play for the Sharks this season, Ruff watched Celebrini throughout final month’s Winter Olympics in Milan, the place the 19-year-old had a tournament-leading 5 targets and completed second amongst all skaters with 10 points.

Celebrini entered Tuesday’s sport towards the red-hot Sabers fifth in the NHL in scoring with 89 factors, as he is been concerned in 47% of the Sharks’ 189 targets this season.

“He scares me,” Ruff mentioned. “Incredible expertise. I watched him within the Olympics. He’s an unbelievably proficient child. He’s a staff driver, can drive your offense, and is unbelievably aggressive. He could make performs that lots of people cannot make.

“We know he’s one of those guys you try to limit. You’re not going to take away his opportunities, but you’ve got to try to limit the really good opportunities, because he’s a game changer.”

Celebrini had one aim in two video games towards the Sabers final season. He was held scoreless within the Sharks’ 4-2 loss to the Sabers in San Jose in Nov. 2024 and had a aim in a 6-2 win in Buffalo in March 2025.

ASKAROV STARTS

Goalie Yaroslav Askarov will begin Tuesday when the Sharks open a five-game highway journey towards the Atlantic Division-leading Sabres, who’ve gained seven straight video games and are streaking towards their first playoff look since 2011. Sharks normal supervisor Mike Grier was on Buffalo’s roster that 12 months in what was his closing NHL season.

Askarov is coming off a 32-save efficiency within the Sharks’ 2-1 additional time loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday to shut a six-game homestand.

In 4 begins because the Olympic break late final month, Askarov is 2-1-1 with a .885 save share, serving to the Sharks (30-25-6) enter Tuesday with 66 factors, one level behind the Seattle Kraken for the Western Conference’s second wild card spot.