MONTREAL \u2014 Was this a \u201cbig growth\u201d game for the San Jose Sharks?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how coach Ryan Warsofsky saw it.<\/p>\n
Up 3-2 going into the third period, in a raucous Bell Centre that Macklin Celebrini<\/a> called \u201cprobably the hockey mecca of the world,” the young Sharks played mature hockey to close out the high-flying Canadiens.<\/p>\n March 14 and the San Jose Sharks are right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race<\/p>\n You aren’t dreaming. This is very real and very #teal<\/a> \ud83e\udd88 pic.twitter.com\/SiOHjDAw5i<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) March 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n San Jose actually outshot the Habs<\/a>, eight to seven, in the final frame.<\/p>\n They didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe kept short shifts, which it goes a long way,\u201d Vincent Desharnais said. \u201cWe stay fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n Puck management was not perfect, but decent.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think we messed around with the puck too much,\u201d Mario Ferraro said. \u201cIt was pretty straightforward, hard off the glass, if we had to.\u201d<\/p>\n They were patient with the puck.<\/p>\n Download and follow the San Jose Hockey Now podcast<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t