John Klingberg called the San Jose Sharks' rally from 5-1 down to a 6-5 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins 'something I've probably never experienced before,' while Erik Karlsson lamented his team's third-period collapse in the December 13 matchup.
In a thrilling NHL contest on December 13, 2025, at PPG Paints Arena, the San Jose Sharks erased a 5-1 deficit with over 15 minutes left in regulation, scoring five unanswered goals—including John Klingberg's power-play marker, William Eklund's tally, Macklin Celebrini's strike, and Tyler Toffoli's game-tying goal—to force OT before Klingberg netted the winner.
Klingberg's overtime goal was a highlight: he carried through the neutral zone, deked Sidney Crosby with a between-the-legs move, took a return pass from Celebrini, and roofed it past Kris Letang. Klingberg finished with two goals, a +3 rating, 24:34 ice time over 23 shifts, earning hero status.
"I have probably never experienced such a comeback before," Klingberg told Expressen.
Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson, who assisted on an earlier goal, was stunned by the unraveling: "There are quite a few inappropriate words about how this game developed and ended. We do incredibly well until the last fifteen minutes... This league is too good for that."
The game underscored the NHL's unpredictability, turning a Penguins blowout into a memorable Sharks triumph, with strong contributions from Eklund (goal, assist) and Alexander Wennberg (three assists).