Sharks lean on youth for playoff chase with hot Habs in town
Michael Misa is making the most of his opportunity with the San Jose Sharks.
The 19-year-old rookie scored the overtime winner that lifted the Sharks to a 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, giving him points in all three games since the Olympic break.
"He's earned it. He has earned it by the way he's played," Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. "That's something we talked way back in training camp. You earn your ice. You earn your spot on this team. He certainly has earned the ice he's getting."
Misa took a drop pass from William Eklund and split a pair of Jets defensemen before beating Connor Hellebuyck for his fourth goal of the season.
Will Smith scored 1:47 into the third, and Alex Nedeljkovic made 27 saves for the Sharks, who have won back-to-back games, having ended an 0-4-1 skid with a victory against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
"First shift I ever got in OT and tried to make the most of it," Misa said of his first career game-winning goal. "(Eklund) made a nice drop pass to me, and figured I'd just wheel in there and see what happens. Puck ended up right back on my stick."
San Jose, trying to climb into a Western Conference wild-card position, is paced on offense by Macklin Celebrini. The 19-year-old center has 83 points, which ranked fifth in the NHL through the weekend.
Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov is 18-16-2 with a 3.50 goals-against average and an .888 save percentage in 37 starts this season. Askarov has made one career appearance against the Canadiens, when he stopped 31 saves in a 4-3 loss in his NHL debut for the Nashville Predators on Jan. 12, 2023.
Tuesday is the first of two meetings between the Canadiens and Sharks this season.
The Canadiens won both meetings last season by identical 4-3 decisions, though the game in Montreal went to overtime.
The Canadiens open a three-game California road trip on Tuesday, looking for back-to-back wins for the first time since a three-game streak at the end of January.
Cole Caufield netted two goals and captain Nick Suzuki produced a goal and an assist as Montreal thumped the visiting Washington Capitals 6-2 on Saturday.
"I thought the puck was finding me early, and it's pretty cool to get those two early," said Caufield, who has a team-leading 35 goals in 59 games. "But getting chances is the most important thing."
Mike Matheson, Kirby Dach and Jake Evans also scored for the Canadiens, who have earned points in seven consecutive games (5-0-2).
"The thing I liked most about the game was how we managed the third period," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. "We had a bigger lead, but they scored a goal, and it was just a two-goal lead. We managed that better. We kept playing in the third period."
Suzuki registered his 25th career three-point game, the top total for Montreal since he arrived in October 2019. He has a team-high 68 points in 59 games this season.
Jakub Dobes, who made 27 saves in the win over the Capitals, has never opposed the Sharks. Montreal's other option in net, Samuel Montembeault, is 3-1-0 with a 2.76 ERA and a .908 save percentage in four games vs. San Jose.