The struggling Montreal Canadiens will look to break their winless streak when they face the last-place San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.
The Canadiens dropped to 0-4-1 in their last five games after a 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
Montreal was up 2-0 for most of the game, but the Ducks quickly tied it with two goals in a 40-second span. Alex Killorn scored the game-winning goal 11:11 into the third period, handing Montreal another tough loss.
“It’s not like we’re getting dominated, but we’re finding ways to lose,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “We’re hurting ourselves. We’re not as sharp, we don’t execute. … It’s not the time of the season you want to get a slide, so we’ve got to stop the bleeding.”
Before this losing streak, Montreal had been 13-3-1 in their last 17 games and had moved close to the Eastern Conference playoff race.
On paper, facing the NHL’s worst team might seem like a good chance for Montreal to get back on track. But the Sharks have had a strong record against the Canadiens, going 16-3-1 in their last 20 matchups dating back to the 2010-11 season.
This season, San Jose has only won four of their last 22 games (4-17-1).
The Sharks are also in the middle of a rebuild and traded Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci to the Dallas Stars on Saturday in exchange for two picks in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Granlund led the Sharks in assists (30) and points (45), while Ceci led in ice time (1,175 minutes, 41 seconds) and blocks (100) this season. Aside from their stats, both players had been important mentors to San Jose’s younger players.
Carolina Hurricanes and San Jose Sharks“(Granlund) said whatever I need, I can ask him,” forward Will Smith told the San Jose Mercury News. “Obviously, I did that. We sat next to each other in the locker room too, so (it’s) tough having him go. … It’s a huge piece we’re losing, but I’ve learned a lot from him.”
In addition to the trades, San Jose is dealing with injuries. Alexander Wennberg (upper body) is expected to miss his second game in a row, while Tyler Toffoli (lower body) and Fabian Zetterlund (illness) are questionable after missing Sunday’s practice.
On the brighter side, Vitek Vanecek has been recalled from his AHL conditioning stint after missing 21 games due to a fractured cheekbone. Vanecek may play Tuesday, or the Sharks could start Alexandar Georgiev if they prefer to ease Vanecek back into the lineup.
Since the Canadiens also play the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, goalies Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes are expected to split the back-to-back starts. The goalies have mostly been alternating starts recently, so Dobes could start Tuesday since Montembeault played against Anaheim.
Captain Nick Suzuki leads Montreal with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists).
The Canadiens’ penalty kill is one of the best in the league, with an 82.5% success rate. Opponents have gone just 2-for-25 on the power play in Montreal’s last 10 games, and 0-for-9 in their last five.
