Sharks vs. Canadiens: San Jose Fall To 5-5-2 On The Road With 3-1 Loss

Montreal, QC (Sports Network) – Tomas Plekanec notched the winning score late in the second period and Carey Price made 26 saves as Montreal edged San Jose, 3-1, at Bell Centre. Mathieu Darche and Mike Cammalleri also scored for the Canadiens, who have won three of four. Benn Ferriero provided the only offense for the Sharks, who couldn’t sustain the momentum from Thursday’s shutout victory in Ottawa.

Antti Niemi allowed three goals on only 19 shots for the loss. Plekanec connected on a wrister with 6:02 remaining in the second period and the Canadiens moved in front for good at 2-1. The slick winger managed to break free of a Sharks checker along the right boards, then snaked into the slot and beat Niemi with a low wrister.

Cammalleri stretched Montreal’s lead to 3-1 at the 8:22 mark of the third period, when he followed up an aborted breakaway by Roman Hamrlik and calmly chipped the puck into the open net. Niemi was pulled for an extra skater with more than 90 seconds remaining, but the Sharks couldn’t make a dent in their two-goal deficit. Darche scored to give the Habs a lead exactly six minutes in when he followed up his own rebound from the left side, then Ferreiro countered for the Sharks at 13:04.

Price improved to 4-0-1 in his last five starts…Montreal has won three of its last five meetings with San Jose since January, 2006, and has beaten the Sharks in three straight games at home…The Canadiens host Ottawa on Tuesday, and San Jose continues its five-game road trip in Detroit on Monday.

Sharks Look To Keep Things Rolling On Road Trip, Head To Montreal

Coming off a 4 - 0 shutout of the Ottawa Senators, the Sharks will look to keep things rolling in the second game of their five-game road trip on Saturday when they play the Eastern conference juggernaut Montreal Canadiens. The shutout victory saw two goals from Logan Couture with the other two coming from Patrick Marleau and Justin Braun, who can attribute the minutes he's getting to the injuries along San Jose's blueline.

Antti Niemi made the start in Ottawa, and his 28 saves and eight career shutout marked his best game in a Sharks uniform, and looks to have been the reason he's drawing the start against Montreal. The line of thinking is that Niemi needs the confidence boost - he's a decent goalie, but a streaky one; any chance to capitalize on him playing above his normal level needs to be taken. Niemi is 3-1-1 in his last five games after starting the season with a dismal 1-4-0.

The game is an early one - it'll be on at 11:30 a.m. in San Jose, and one has to wonder if that will have any effect on the Sharks. Coach Todd McLellan seems to think it shouldn't be much of an issue, but it almost always is something to consider in any pro sport these days.

Montreal is riding a bit of momentum following their 5 - 1 victory over the Devils, but have not had back-to-back wins in eight straight games. Their last back-to-back win streak was when they had four wins from November 9th to November 16th. Carey Price will be in goal for the Canadiens, coming off the Devils win in which he made 27 saves. All five of Montreal's goals in the game came from different players: Lars Eller, Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, Benoit Poullot, and Tom Pyatt all scored for the Habs.

The Canadiens' penalty killing unit is among the league's best, while the Sharks have been successful on three of their last four attempts with the man advantage, which will be one of the key matchups to watch Saturday. In the last four matchups between the two, they've split them with two home victories apiece.