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.