San Jose Sharks 4–3 Montreal Canadiens: match recap

Match recap

A back-and-forth affair at the Bell Centre saw the Sharks outlast the Canadiens 4-3, fueled by Macklin Celebrini's two-goal performance. San Jose's offense struck early and often, while Montreal's push late fell just short in a game where the visitors held a 57.2% model share.

San Jose struck first, with Macklin Celebrini opening the scoring and later adding an empty-net tally to seal the win. The Sharks built a 3-1 lead by the second period, but Montreal responded with a power-play goal from Cole Caufield and a Juraj Slafkovsky strike to tie it 3-3 entering the third. Celebrini's empty-netter with under a minute left proved decisive, as the Canadiens' comeback bid ran out of time.

Key factors

• San Jose Sharks beat Montreal Canadiens 4-3.
• Montreal's power-play conversion in the second period (Caufield) kept them within striking distance after falling behind by two goals
• San Jose's early offensive push: goals from Toffoli and Misa in the first period gave the Sharks a lead they never relinquished

The Analyst's take

San Jose's 57.2% model share points to a team that controlled the flow of play, even if the scoreboard was tight. With Montreal missing key defenders like Mike Matheson (lower body, per ESPN), the Sharks' ability to exploit gaps in the zone was telling. The Canadiens will need a healthier blue line to sustain this level of pushback in future games.