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San Jose Sharks at Montreal Canadiens

Tue Oct 207:00 PM ETESPN+Montreal, QC
By JR·2 min read
Sharks(4-4-1)
Canadiens(4-3-1)
Tuesday 10/207:00 PM

TLDR: San Jose ends a run through Canada with no rest, coming into Montreal less than a day after blowing another lead in Toronto. The Canadiens are short a lot of bodies, but they've been winning the close ones at home.

TUE 10/20, 7:00 PMESPN+
Sharks
(4-4-1)
LLWLL
Canadiens
(4-3-1)
WLWWL

San Jose (4-4-1) visits Montreal (4-3-1) on the second night of a back-to-back, a day after giving up 3 unanswered goals in a 3-1 loss in Toronto, and Alexander Wennberg's status is unclear after he left that game hurt. The Canadiens are missing Demidov, Montembeault and probably Matheson, but Jacob Fowler has steadied the crease and they have won 3 of their last 4 at home. The game likely comes down to whether tired Sharks legs can hold a lead against a Montreal blue line that's been leaking goals.

San Jose Sharks
  • Celebrini leads team with 11 points, producing nightly
  • Have scored first in recent games, including Toronto
  • Nedeljkovic sitting on a 2.20 GAA
  • Second night of back-to-back after Toronto
  • Keep blowing leads late; 3-1 loss in Toronto
  • Wennberg left Toronto hurt, status unclear
Montreal Canadiens
  • Rested since Saturday's 4-3 win over Buffalo
  • Fowler steady in Montembeault's place: 2.16 GAA
  • Won 3 of 4 at Bell Centre this month
  • Matheson likely out again, blue line thin
  • Demidov still on IR, no return yet
  • Gave up 5 to both Nashville and Washington

The schedule might be the biggest factor here. The Sharks played at Scotiabank Arena on Monday night and face the Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Tuesday, October 20 at 7:00 PM ET. That's a back-to-back with a flight in the middle of it, late in an Eastern road trip. Montreal last played Saturday, when it beat Buffalo 4-3, so the Habs come in with 2 full days off.

San Jose's problem isn't starting games. It's the 3rd period. In Toronto the Sharks scored the only goal of the 1st and then gave up 3 straight in a 3-1 loss to a Leafs team missing John Tavares and Chris Tanev. Celebrini was asked about third-period fixes before that game, and the fixes didn't show up. He's still the reason to watch San Jose: he led the team with 11 points going into Toronto, including a goal and 2 assists in the shootout loss at Detroit. The Toronto game may have cost them more than the result, too. Alexander Wennberg left late with an upper-body injury, and he's listed day-to-day with his status for this one unclear.

Montreal's injury list is long, and it hits the spine of the roster. Ivan Demidov is on IR with a lower-body injury, and Dose.ca's Monday update said he won't be back in time for this one. Mike Matheson skated Monday but was called unlikely to play Tuesday, with Friday a more realistic target. Sam Montembeault has been on IR since October 10, and the same report had him ready by Sunday at the latest, so this game probably falls just before his window. That has left the crease to Jacob Fowler, and he has handled it: a 2.16 GAA and 3 wins so far.

Even shorthanded, the Canadiens keep finding ways to win close games. They beat Detroit 1-0, then beat Buffalo 4-3 twice, and the second one came after the Sabres erased 2 leads. Zack Bolduc and Cole Caufield scored early in that last game, and the top of the lineup has carried a team that's missing a top defenseman and its No. 1 goalie. The worry is the back end: Montreal gave up 5 to Nashville and 5 to Washington, and without Matheson that hasn't been fixed yet.

San Jose Sharks
(4-4-1)
10/19L@Maple Leafs1-3
10/17L@Red Wings3-4
10/16W@Predators3-2
10/14LvsBruins3-6
10/10LvsOilers1-3
Montreal Canadiens
(4-3-1)
10/17WvsSabres4-3
10/14L@Capitals4-5
10/13WvsSabres4-3
10/10WvsRed Wings1-0
10/08LvsPredators2-5

The Sharks are 1-4 in their last 5 and haven't scored more than 3 in any of those games. That's a fair summary of where they are: one elite young center, not much scoring behind him, and a habit of fading late. If Wennberg can't go, the middle of the lineup gets even thinner behind Celebrini and Michael Misa. A team like that, on a back-to-back against a rested Habs team, needs a fast start and a goalie who steals one. Alex Nedeljkovic has been solid when he's played, with a 2.20 GAA, but on the second night of a back-to-back nobody should assume who San Jose starts until warmups.

Sharks vs. Canadiens: Polymarket Odds & Prediction (Oct. 20) — Sharks Hit Bell Centre on a Back-to-Back Against Banged-Up Habs · Barstool Bush