Rookie forward's late goal helps Sharks snap 6-game losing streak

Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News on Mar 28, 2026

Published in Hockey

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Igor Chernyshov scored twice, including the go-ahead goal with 1:25 left in the third period, to lift the San Jose Sharks to a critical 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday at Nationwide Arena

On the winning goal, Macklin Celebrini carried the puck into the offensive zone and passed to Will Smith. He fed Chernyshov, who one-timed a shot past Elvis Merzlikins for his fifth goal of the season.

Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic finished with 21 saves, including a big stop on Kirill Marchenko with just under seven minutes left in the third period, as the Sharks snapped a six-game losing streak and capped their three-game road trip with a 1-1-1 record.

Celebrini scored after the start of a Sharks power play to tie the game 2-2 early in the third period.

Right after Charlie Coyle began serving a tripping penalty, Alex Wennberg won a draw in the Blue Jackets zone back to Dmitry Orlov, who slid the puck over to Celebrini for a one-timer that beat Elvis Merzlikins 57 seconds into the third period.

The second period might have been the Sharks’ best of the road trip, but they still trailed 2-1 entering the third.

After the Sharks won a puck battle in their own zone, Dmitry Orlov, from below the goal line, tried to send a backhand pass to Will Smith near the boards. But Smith had already started up the ice, and the pass went to Ivan Provorov, who fed Cole Sillinger for a one-timer that beat Alex Nedeljkovic for a 2-1 Blue Jackets lead.

The game was tied 1-1 after the first period.

A failed clearing attempt by William Eklund led to a Grade A chance for the Blue Jackets, as a wide-open Denton Mateychuk took a pass from Adam Fantilli in the slot and beat Nedeljkovic 31 seconds into the game for his 12th goal of the season.

The Sharks managed just two shots on goal in the first 12 minutes before they began creating quality chances.

With under three minutes left in the first period, Chernyshov created a Blue Jackets turnover in the neutral zone, carried the puck across the blue line, worked a give-and-go with Will Smith, and scored his fourth goal of the season, and first in the NHL since Dec. 31.

The Sharks entered Saturday in 12th place in the Western Conference and six points back of the Nashville Predators for the second wild-card spot, with two games in hand. San Jose was also eight points back of the Vegas Golden Knights for third place in the Pacific Division, with three games in hand.

Nedeljkovic got the start Saturday after Yaroslav Askarov was injured in the second period of the Sharks’ 2-1 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.

Askarov is now considered day to day with an upper-body injury as the Sharks head into another busy week with four games in six days, all at home. The Sharks play the St. Louis Blues on Monday, the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday and the Predators on Saturday.

If Askarov is unavailable by midweek, the Sharks would likely start Laurent Brossoit, who was recalled from the Barracuda on Friday, against either the Ducks or Maple Leafs.

Nedeljkovic also had to carry the load in net when Askarov was unavailable to play in seven straight games from March 12 to Tuesday. In that time, Nedeljkovic went 2-4-0 with an .867 save percentage. On Thursday, after Askarov’s injury, Nedeljkovic stopped 10 of 12 shots.

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