Relax Canadiens’ fans. The drought finally is over.
As bad as Montreal has been recently, there’s nothing like a game against the San Jose Sharks — the NHL’s worst team and the free space on the bingo card — to cure what ails a team.
But the Canadiens should hardly rejoice over this hard-fought 4-3 victory against the Sharks Tuesday night at the SAP Center, ending Montreal’s five-game losing skid. San Jose scored first and the game appeared headed for overtime until Joel Armia scored a short-handed goal with slightly more than four minutes remaining in regulation time.
The Canadiens are now 1-1 on this California road trip, and should have been 2-0 after squandering a two-goal lead Sunday afternoon at Anaheim. Those were considered the soft spots on the schedule. Wednesday’s game at Los Angeles? Not so much. Nonetheless, this bunch has been known to surprise us before. And that’s why they play the games.
The long wait is over:When the Canadiens defeated Tampa Bay on Jan. 21 for their second consecutive victory, and fourth over a five-game span, it seemed only a matter of time before head coach Martin St. Louis would record his 100th regular-season victory. Who could have imagined it would take another two weeks?
News you need (Part I): At age 36, Ryan Warsofsky became the NHL’s youngest head coach last June when he was promoted by the Sharks following two seasons as an assistant with the team. He also became the league’s first Jewish head coach since Bob Plager with St. Louis during the 1992-93 season. Warsofsky turned 37 on Oct. 26.
News you need (Part II): Warsofsky is only six years older than Sharks’ centre Andrew Poturalski, who was promoted from San Jose’s AHL affiliate and played only the seventh NHL game of his career against Montreal. Poturalski is the AHL’s leading scorer with 45 points, including 18 goals, and has been to three consecutive Calder Cup finals. Despite playing on the Sharks’ second line, he was held without a point but did produce two shots.
Rookie watch: Much of the pre-game hype centred around the head-to-head confrontation between Canadiens defenceman Lane Hutson, 20, and Sharks centre Macklin Celebrini, the first overall draft choice last summer. The two were teammates at Boston University and dined together Monday night.
Give Celebrini, only 18, a slight advantage on this night. He scored a goal and added an assist, giving him 17 goals and 39 points in 43 games. Hutson produced an assist, his 37th this season — along with three goals — in 53 games. One of these two is expected to win the Calder trophy, awarded annually to the league’s top freshman. The two meet again Feb. 27 at the Bell Centre.
Is there anything he can’t do?: You loved him in Bad Boys, King Richard, Gemini Man, Ali and Men In Black. And now forward Will Smith is one of the promising young stars on the Sharks. What? Not the same Will Smith? Never mind.
Where potential goals go to die: Barely three minutes had elapsed before Christian Dvorak was sent in alone, Alas, his backhand missed the net. Of course it did.
Pass of the night (Part I): Former Canadien Tyler Toffoli to Celebrini, who opened the scoring with a power-play goal before six minutes had elapsed.
Dumb penalty (Part I): Celebrini cross-checked Alexandre Carrier in the offensive zone in the opening period.
Guess they didn’t get the memo: The Sharks have allowed a league-high 64 first-period goals. That total remained unchanged against Montreal.
Faceoff of the night: Nick Suzuki beat Celebrini, eventually leading to Cole Caufield’s goal in the opening minute of the second period.
News you need (Part III): It was Caufield’s first power-play goal since Nov. 27.
News you need (Part IV): The Canadiens scored two goals in 4:01, Alex Newhook providing the visitors with a 2-1 lead at 4:53 of the second period.
It’s a game of inches: Armia hit the post in the first period. Newhook and Owen Beck did likewise in the second period. It would have been Beck’s first NHL goal. Suzuki also struck the iron in the period, as did San Jose’s Timothy Liljegren. And that’s why they call it a goaltender’s best friend.
Dumb penalty (Part II): Carl Grundstrom, late in the second period, received a double high-sticking minor against Hutson.
Pass of the night (Part II): Kirby Dach to Brendan Gallagher early in the third, providing the Canadiens with a 3-2 lead.
Best hits we’ve seen in a three-second span: Beck on Luke Kunin and then on Jake Walman in the third period.
Pass of the night (Part III):Jake Evans to Armia.
News you need (Part V): Armia’s goal was his second shorthanded in as many games and the 12th in his career. It was the Canadiens’ seventh shorthanded goal this season.
Quick stats: The Canadiens had 29 hits and won 58.7 per cent of their faceoffs. Arber Xhekaj had six hits. Gallagher had five shots. Carrier had five blocks, one more than David Savard. Sharks’ goalie Alexandar Georgiev had a save percentage of .800. A beach ball would have fared better.
They said it: “I was trying to positively affect the game as much as I could,” Beck told the media in San Jose. “I had a couple of good chances that unfortunately didn’t go in. I was trying to bring energy to the group, make things happen on the forecheck, allow my linemates some space to create offence.”
“Obviously we needed a win here, and it was a big one,” Dvorak said in San Jose. “We knew we needed a big win, no matter how it came. We have to turn the page here quick.”
“It’s good to finally get on the right side of things,” Hutson said in San Jose. “They didn’t make it easy on us. They never gave up and kept going. It was good to win for sure.”