Celebrini, Sherwood come up large as Sharks earn thrilling win over Canadiens

SAN JOSE – No one has accused the San Jose Sharks of playing boring hockey this season, especially on this homestand.

After the Sharks lost a three-goal lead in the third period, Kiefer Sherwood scored with 3:23 left in regulation time to help lift San Jose to a thrilling 7-5 win over the Montreal Canadiens before an announced sellout crowd of 17,435 at SAP Center.

It was the first goal in a Sharks uniform for Sherwood, who pumped his fist and exalted the fans as San Jose held on for its third straight win on this critical six-game homestand.

The Sharks (30-25-4) beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 on Saturday and the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in overtime on Sunday. The homestand ends with games against the St. Louis Blues on Friday and the New York Islanders on Saturday.

Macklin Celebrini had a goal and three assists in the win, with his second-period goal giving him 30 for the season.

The Sharks scored four unanswered goals from midway through the second period to early in the third to take a three-goal lead.

Michael Misa scored his third goal in as many games before Celebrini’s goal as the Sharks took a 3-2 lead at the 18:23 mark of the second period.

Alex Wennberg scored just 25 seconds after Celebrini’s goal, off an assist from Sherwood, his first point as a Shark, and Will Smith scored his 19th goal of the season on a San Jose power play for a 5-2 lead.

The Canadiens got to within one as Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook scored goals 18 seconds apart, with Newhook’s goal coming at the 5:20 mark. Just over five minutes later, with Sam Dickinson serving a tripping penalty, Newhook took a pass from Brendan Gallagher and beat Askarov for his eighth goal of the season at the 10:56 mark to make the game 5-5.