The Montreal Canadiens had this one in their hands for most of the night, then watched it slip away in familiar fashion.
What started as a chance to keep rolling after three straight home wins turned into a 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks, with the Canadiens leaving with only one point after holding a 3-1 lead. They were at home for the sixth time in their last seven games, and for long stretches it looked like they were in control. But the third period bit them again, and this time overtime didn’t save them.
San Jose opened the scoring early, but Montreal answered with three straight goals to move ahead 3-1. From there, the Sharks took over in their own way, scoring twice in the third period before finishing it off in overtime.
Jake Evans set the tone for the wrong reasons on the first goal. In his own zone, he tried to force a pass across the ice instead of clearing the puck, and it didn’t have enough on it.
Macklin Celebrini picked it off in the middle and walked in for an easy goal on Jakub Dobes. Evans is still looking for his first point of the season and now sits at a minus-5.
Montreal’s best stretch of the night came early in the second period, and Juraj Slafkovsky put together the kind of goal that can light up a season. He carried the puck into the zone, chipped it around Darnell Nurse, recovered it, then powered through the front of the net and across the crease to beat Alex Nedejkovic. It was his second goal of the season and his first since the game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The goal was only part of the story, though. Montreal’s top line was buzzing through the first two periods, with Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield all finishing with one goal and one assist. That trio was a huge reason the Canadiens found success during their stronger stretch later in the season, and they gave the team plenty to work with here, even if it didn’t end in a win.
Then came the third period, where the familiar trouble returned. Michael Misa cut the lead to one about five minutes in, and Tyler Toffoli later tied it on the power play.
Montreal’s lead vanished, and the Canadiens couldn’t claw it back. They managed just six scoring chances in the third after piling up 23 over the first two periods.
The extra period brought another costly mistake. Dobes was called for interference when a Sharks player skated in front of him while Montreal had the puck behind the net. It was an unnecessary penalty, and San Jose made them pay on the power play for the second time in the game.
That kind of mistake raises the pressure on the crease picture. Jacob Fowler has been playing really well, and with the Canadiens back in action Friday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, Dobes’ overtime lapse gives Martin St. Louis something to think about.
In Other News...
Canadiens Fans Have A New Reason To Watch The Dylan Larkin Rumors
Andrei Markov got the kind of welcome at the Bell Centre that only a longtime Canadiens favorite can command, drawing a standing ovation during the game and reminding everyone how quickly old connections still matter in Montreal. It was the sort of moment that had the building buzzing before the night even moved into more serious hockey business, with familiar faces and front-office energy all around the arena.
Among those watching from above was Red Wings assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting Kris Draper, which naturally sent the rumor mill spinning in a city that never ignores a hint of roster intrigue. The timing lines up with the ongoing Dylan Larkin chatter, as Detroit is said to be looking for a major return, but there is still no trade to report and nothing concrete yet for Canadiens fans to grab onto beyond the possibility. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Could Get Caught In Winnipegs Goalie Drama Fast
Connor Hellebuycks standoff with the Winnipeg Jets has created a situation Montreal has to keep an eye on, even if it is not directly involved. The veteran goalie was suspended for failing to report to training camp, and with that suspension set to run out on Friday, Winnipeg suddenly faces a short-term decision on how to handle one of the biggest names on its roster.
The Jets appear hesitant to simply fold Hellebuyck back into the mix, and the possibility of a trade before Sundays meeting with the Canadiens adds another layer to a divisional matchup that was already worth watching. Montreal is monitoring the situation because any move involving Hellebuyck could ripple into the game plan for both teams, and the timing leaves Winnipeg with little room to sort out what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Face A Harsh Reality In Dylan Larkin Rumors
Dylan Larkins trade request out of Detroit has quickly turned into one of those situations that tells you as much about the process as it does about the player. What began as a tightly controlled list of preferred destinations has now grown, and the change has sparked plenty of debate around how the request was handled in the first place. On TSN OverDrive, a panel took aim at Larkin and his camp for mismanaging the ask by narrowing the field so aggressively before needing to broaden it again.
For Montreal, the wrinkle is obvious: this is the kind of star-center conversation the Canadiens would normally be watching closely, especially with trade speculation already swirling around the league. But with no confirmed deal and no real clarity on where this ends up, the story has become less about the player movement itself and more about the limits of leverage once a request goes public. The Canadiens can monitor the market, but for now they are stuck waiting on a situation that has already shifted once and could shift again. [Read more 🡒]