Sharks update: Celebrini talks Ovechkin, where’s Couture, and a big arrival in San Jose

SAN JOSE – Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin remembers how excited he was like to play against some of his favorite players, such as Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux and former San Jose Sharks forward Owen Nolan, when he first came to the NHL in 2005.

“It was a dream come true,” Ovechkin said Friday at SAP Center. “Playing in the NHL is one thing, but when you play against your idols and big names, it’s always memorable.”

Macklin Celebrini feels that same way now, as he begins to compete against Sidney Crosby and now Ovechkin, two players he’s long admired. Saturday’s game between the Sharks and Capitals at SAP Center will be the first for Celebrini against Ovechkin, who was injured for the first meeting between the two teams in December.

“Those two went on it for two decades, and I’m still watching them,” Celebrini said of Ovechkin and Crosby. “They’re always going to be two of the all-time greats, and (it’s awesome) just to watch them and learn from them.”

While Celebrini has 20 goals in what’s so far been a memorable rookie season, Ovechkin has 33 goals this season and 886 for his career, as he’s eight goals shy of tying Wayne Gretzky atop the NHL’s all-time goal scoring list.

Asked if he’s ever tried to copy Ovechkin’s patented one-timer from the near faceoff dot on a power play, Celebrini said, “You can’t really copy his shot. He’s kind of mastered that 1t, and whenever you think the goalie is there and the defense is in the way, he just still blows it by them.

“So you can’t really copy it. But for sure, it’s something that you watch, and like all the best players in the world, you just try to learn from them.”

Asked about Celebrini, Ovechkin said, “I don’t see all the highlights, but he’s a talented guy. I wish him luck.”

WHERE’S LOGAN?: The Sharks took their team photo Friday morning at SAP Center but injured captain Logan Couture was not at the arena. Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said Couture, who has been unable to play all season, is in the area but could not be at Tank on Friday due to a personal matter.

Couture has not played an NHL game since Jan. 31, 2024, as he’s dealt with osteitis pubis, described by the Cleveland Clinic as an inflammatory condition of the joint connecting the two pubic bones in the pelvis.

Warsofsky said there remains no timeframe for Couture, who turns 36 later this month, to begin skating again. After Saturday, the Sharks have just 15 games left this season.

OSTAPCHUK ARRIVES: After waiting for a work visa for close to a week, forward Zack Ostapchuk was added to the Sharks roster on Friday afternoon and is expected to debut with the team against the Capitals.

The Sharks acquired Ostapchuk and Noah Gregor from Ottawa on March 7 in a deal that sent forward Fabian Zetterlund to the Senators. Ostapchuk, 21, skated on a line Friday with Gregor and Barclay Goodrow.

“It gets me into the game, and gets my teammates into the game,” Ostapchuk said of his edgy style. “That’s something I like to try and bring every night, and I just like to kind of just agitate guys, and maybe, hopefully they take a penalty on me or something.”

Ostapchuk has played in 50 NHL games, all with the Senators, including 43 this season. Asked what he wants his first few shifts as a Shark to be like, the 6-foot-4, 212-pound Ostapchuk said, “definitely get a hit out of the way. Get me into it right away. That’s probably what you’ll see from me on my first shift, and after that, I think I’ll settle in.”

ABOUT THAT TRADE: Turns out Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin was the first person to inform Zetterlund last Friday that he had been traded from the Sharks to the Senators.

Zetterlund and William Eklund had just finished taking a sauna when Sandin reached the former Sharks winger and told him he was headed to Ottawa.

“He was asking me back, ‘Who got traded?’ And I said, ‘You’re getting traded,” Sandin said Friday. “And he started, ‘That’s funny,’ (and I replied) ‘No, you’re getting traded.’”

Where, Zetterlund asked. “I just said you’re going to Ottawa. and he’s like, ‘yeah, right.’ Then, right after that, (Sharks general manager Mike) Grier called him, so he had to pick that up.”

Sandin said he’s known Zetterlund for about a decade.

“I’m pretty sure he’s going to be a great fit,” Sandin said of 5-foot-11, 220-pound Zetterlund, who has played three games for the Senators. “He’s built for playoff hockey. Just super strong and he’s fast, he does everything for the team.”

With the Capitals leading the Eastern Conference and the Senators hanging around a wild card spot, there’s a chance the two teams could meet in the first round of the playoffs.

“That would be fun. I might have to drop him the first shift,” Sandin said with a smile. “Don’t know if that’s going to happen.”