Special teams key as Canadiens defeat Sharks, ending five-game skid

The Montreal Canadiens entered their Tuesday night matchup in San Jose desperately looking to snap a five-game losing streak. All season, special teams have been a crucial factor for the Canadiens, and once again, they played a decisive role in securing a 4-3 victory over the Sharks.

Power-play breakthrough

Once Patrick Laine got into the Canadiens lineup, the powerplay was instantly rejuvenated, becoming a massive factor in games and a big reason why the Canadiens looked unbeatable. However, as the unit lost its spark, the team’s offence struggled, contributing to their recent skid. During their five-game drought, the Canadiens' power play was a dismal 1-for-9, making it clear that improvement was needed if they wanted to turn things around against the Sharks.

The power play finally broke through when Cole Caufield and Brendan Gallagher both found the back of the net on the man advantage, injecting much-needed confidence into the unit. Hutson looked like a magician with the puck on the powerplay once again. The two most important players on the powerplay become even more crucial when goal scorers like Laine aren't putting every shot they take into the back of the net. Hutson and Suzuki are ever more important during this cold stretch, and if the powerplay is going to reignite, it will surely be thanks to their fantastic playmaking skills. Their exceptional playmaking was on full display when they combined to set up Caufield’s goal, exemplifying exactly how dangerous Montreal's power play can be when firing on all cylinders.

Redemption on the penalty kill

The Canadiens have quietly built one of the league’s better penalty-killing units this season, currently boasting an 81.8% success rate, good for ninth in the NHL. However, their discipline faltered against the Sharks, allowing two power-play goals on four opportunities. Despite this setback, the penalty kill found redemption in the most crucial moment of the game.

Not only has Montreal’s penalty kill improved significantly from last season, but it has also become a legitimate offensive threat. The Canadiens have scored seven shorthanded goals this year, ranking fifth in the NHL. The game-winning goal came courtesy of two of the team’s top penaltykillers, Joel Armia and Jake Evans, who connected on a shorthanded tally that sealed the win.

The Canadiens beat the Sharks with their special teams, proving how crucial a solid power play is to this team. Not only is the power play a deciding factor between wins and losses, but so is the penalty kill. The Canadiens have proven throughout the season that they can lose games with a poor penalty kill, but can also win them with the dangerous attack that Evans and Armia provide when out there together.

Now that the five-game losing streak is over, the Canadiens must build momentum from their strong special teams' play. The team is now set to try and build a winning streak on Wednesday night when they take on the Los Angeles Kings.