Sharks extend home-ice streak vs. Canadiens
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Logan Couture had two goals and two assists, Martin Jones made 28 saves, and the San Jose Sharks defeated the Montreal Canadiens at SAP Center for the 11th straight time, winning 5-2 on Tuesday night.
Joe Pavelski, Tomas Hertl and Joe Thornton also scored for the Sharks (2-3-0) in the finale of a season-opening, five-game homestand.
Jonathan Drouin and Shea Weber scored for Montreal, which hasn't won in San Jose since Nov. 23, 1999, when it defeated the Sharks 3-2 in overtime. The Canadiens (1-4-1) lost their fifth straight game.
Carey Price made 30 saves for Montreal and fell to 2-7-1 for his career against San Jose.
The Sharks took control in the second period, outscoring Montreal 3-1 to build a 4-2 lead.
Pavelski scored his first goal of the season 53 seconds into the period when Kevin Labanc's shot deflected off him, then Weber, and past Price to put San Jose ahead 2-1.
Hertl made it 3-1 at 8:03 of the second with a power play goal from in front of the crease. Hertl fumbled Thornton's pass from above the right circle, but the puck bounced off his stick and slid inside the right post.
Montreal cut San Jose's lead to 3-2 when Weber blasted a slap shot past Jones from the left circle for a power-play goal at 10:37.
San Jose regained a two-goal lead at 13:24 of the second period on Couture's power-play goal from left of the crease. Tim Heed sent a shot from the high slot into traffic, and Pavelski kicked the loose puck to Couture, who scored on a wrist shot. The assists went to Pavelski and Heed, who got his first NHL point.
Thornton scored an empty-net goal, his first tally of the season, with 43 seconds remaining.
Couture gave San Jose a 1-0 lead at 3:50 of the first period with his second goal of the season. Hertl deflected Justin Braun's shot from the right point wide left, and the puck hit the backboards and caromed to Couture on the other side.
Price scrambled to his left, but Couture deftly moved the other way and scored into an open net with a wrist shot from close range.
Montreal pulled even 16 seconds later when Drouin scored his second goal of the season, becoming the first Canadien with multiple goals. Artturi Lehkonen sent a pass ahead on the rush to Drouin, who beat Jones from the left circle.
NOTES: D Joe Morrow replaced Jordie Benn in the lineup and made his debut for Canadiens. ... Montreal fourth-line C Torrey Mitchell, a former Shark, returned to the lineup in place of Jacob De La Rose after being a healthy scratch against Toronto on Saturday. ... Sharks rookie D Joakim Ryan and Tim Heed were in the lineup for the third straight game. ... Montreal D Karl Alzner played his 546th consecutive regular-season game, the fifth-longest active streak in the NHL.