Habs Game Report: Sharks Edge Canadiens 2-1
SAN JOSE – The Canadiens are still 0-for-this-century in San Jose. The Sharks defeated the Canadiens 2-1 Friday night at SAP Center and that left Montreal with a 0-11-1 record since their last win here on Nov. 23, 1999. The Sharks scored twice in the first period and then left it up to Martin Jones, who had a shutout until Artturi Lehkonen scored a power-play goal with 1:17 to play.
It was the second consecutive loss for the Canadiens who are 1-2-0 on their current five-game road trip and 4-5-1 on the road this season.
Burns opens scoring: Brent Burns, the leading scorer among NHL defencemen, gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead when he scored a power-play goal at 5:22 of the first period. Burns was in the left faceoff circle when he took a pass from Joe Pavelski and beat Carey Price with a one-timer along the ice. It was Burns’s 10th goal of the season but only his third on the power play.
Going backwards: The Sharks were handed a breakaway when Alex Galchenyuk’s drop pass went through Alexander Radulov’s skates. Joe Thornton chased the puck into the corner and set up Pavelski who beat Andrei Markov to the net and made it 2-0 at 19:03 of the first period.
Milestone for Thornton: The veteran picked up assists on the first two San Jose goals, giving him 1,356 career points. He moved ahead of Brendan Shanahan for 25th place on the all-time NHL scoring list.
No finishing touch: The Canadiens were outshot 16-13 in the first period but had two quality scoring chances. Galchenyuk was left alone at the side of the net but couldn’t beat Jones. And Jones made a kick save when Brian Flynn was in alone with three minutes to go. Montreal had a 10-7 edge in the second period but the frustration continued as Radulov hit a post. Price kept the score close by stopping Chris Tierney and Tommy Wingels on breakaways.
Special teams: The Sharks went 1-for-3 on the power play while the Canadiens had four power plays including a four-minute stretch at the end of the game after Logan Couture caught Radulov over the right eye with a high stick. Their second power play ended after 58 seconds when Max Pacioretty fanned on a shot and then slashed Pavelski in frustration.
Coming up: The Canadiens play a rare afternoon game against the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center Sunday (3 p.m., Sportsnet East, RDS, TSN-690 Radio). They wrap up their road trip Tuesday in St. Louis and they return to the Bell Centre Thursday to play the New Jersey Devils.
