Klingberg scores in overtime as Sharks complete unbelievable comeback against Penguins

Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News on Dec 13, 2025

Published in Hockey

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The San Jose Sharks have never been involved in a victory like the one they had Saturday over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Trailing by four early in the third period, the Sharks rallied before defenseman John Klingberg scored at the 2:57 mark of overtime to help his team earn a stunning 6-5 win over the Penguins while silencing the crowd of 17,059 at PPG Paints Arena.

“That’s one of the craziest comebacks I’ve been a part of, for sure,” said Klingberg, who also had the overtime winner in the Sharks’ 3-2 comeback win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

With the Sharks trailing by four, Klingberg and William Eklund scored just under seven minutes apart to cut the Penguins’ lead to 5-3 with 5:41 left in regulation time.

Then, with Sharks goalie Yaroslav Askarov pulled for the extra attacker, Macklin Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli scored goals 50 seconds apart, with Toffoli’s goal with 1:38 left in the third period tying the game 5-5.

On the game-winner, Klingberg took the puck across the Penguins’ blue line and eluded a check from Sidney Crosby by putting the puck between his legs. He then worked a give-and-go with Celebrini, taking a return pass from the Sharks’ top center and fired a one-timer past goalie Arturs Silovs for his seventh and perhaps most memorable goal of the season.

“We don’t give up, and credit to all the guys,” Klingberg said. “That’s a big thing to do (something) like that. It builds a lot of confidence.”

Toffoli had two goals and two assists, Alexander Wennberg and Celebrini each had three points, and Askarov finished with 38 saves for the Sharks, who earned their biggest comeback win in franchise history as they completed a challenging road trip with a 3-2-0 record.

The Sharks had erased three-goal deficits in the third period three times before in 34 seasons, but had never come back from four goals down.

“We’re not going to give up,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of his message between the second and third periods. “It’s right there for us. If we play the right way, we’ll get some looks.

“We talked about getting one early in that third period. It’s not exactly how we drew it up, but credit to that group in there that they were extremely resilient. To finish that road trip like this in that type of game, that is impressive.”

Dampening the Sharks’ victory were injuries to forwards Will Smith and Philipp Kurashev, who both had to leave the game.

Kurashev left the game midway through the second period after crashing hard into the end boards in the Penguins’ zone. Smith was hurt with 16:30 left in the third period, as he was hit into the boards by Pittsburgh defenseman Parker Wotherspoon in the Penguins’ zone.

Smith immediately began to skate off the ice and threw off one of his gloves as he clutched his right arm before he reached the bench.

Right after the hit, Celebrini went after Wotherspoon, with both players falling to the ice to start a brief melee.

“When there’s a hit like that, you hate to see one of your teammates go down,” Celebrini said. “Anyone would have done that if it happened to any guy on our team. I think that’s the kind of group we have and how close we are.”

Both Wotherspoon and Celebrini were called for roughing, with Celebrini receiving a double-minor, and forward Anthony Mantha scored on the ensuing Penguins power play at the 5:25 mark to give his team a seemingly comfortable 5-1 lead.

Still, Warsofsky loved Celebrini’s response.

“It doesn’t surprise me whatsoever,” Warsofsky said. “That’s (who) we are in there, and they’ll stick up for each other.

It doesn’t matter who you are. (Celebrini) did a great job, (William Eklund) jumps in there. Proud of the guys for doing that.”

Warsofsky didn’t have a health update on Smith or Kurashev. The Sharks begin a three-game homestand on Tuesday against the Calgary Flames.

Smith and Kurashev began the game on the Sharks’ top line with Celebrini. Smith is the Sharks’ second-leading scorer with 29 points in 32 games before Saturday, and Kurashev had 15 points in 30 games.

Toffoli scored the opening goal and his eighth of the season at the 10:27 mark of the first period, but Crosby’s power play goal just 2:14 later – with Celebrini in the box for tripping – tied the game for the Penguins and helped change the game’s momentum.

From there, the Sharks managed just five shots on net through the end of the second period. Celebrini’s minor penalty was the first of five San Jose took against the Penguins, who entered Saturday with the third-best power play in the NHL.

The Sharks also allowed second-period even-strength goals to Rutger McGroarty and Kevin Hayes before Bryan Rust scored on the power play with just 6.6 seconds left before intermission.

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