MONTREAL — Was this a “big growth” game for the San Jose Sharks?
That’s how coach Ryan Warsofsky saw it.
Up 3-2 going into the third period, in a raucous Bell Centre that Macklin Celebrini called “probably the hockey mecca of the world,” the young Sharks played mature hockey to close out the high-flying Canadiens.
March 14 and the San Jose Sharks are right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race
You aren’t dreaming. This is very real and very #teal 🦈 pic.twitter.com/SiOHjDAw5i
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) March 15, 2026
San Jose actually outshot the Habs, eight to seven, in the final frame.
They didn’t chase bad offense; Will Smith, for example, about 40 seconds into the final frame, dumped it in instead of going on an offensive foray in a well-defended zone.
“We kept short shifts, which it goes a long way,” Vincent Desharnais said. “We stay fresh.”
Puck management was not perfect, but decent.
“I don’t think we messed around with the puck too much,” Mario Ferraro said. “It was pretty straightforward, hard off the glass, if we had to.”
They were patient with the puck.
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