Montreal @ San Jose Top Six Minutes: Goaltending feeds Habs to the Sharks

Two bad goals from Antti Niemi early placed the Habs in an uphill battle.

By David St-Louis@DavidSt_Louis Mar 8, 2019, 1:07am EST

Jordan Weal looks pretty good in his early shifts. There is some chemistry between Jonathan Drouin, Joël Armia and him.
Oh...Niemi.
And again. He might sink the Habs this game. Nightmare scenario for him.
Victor Mete creates his own chance with the goalie. This could again be his best game of the season.
That’s either Dale Weise first goal back with the Habs or Artturi Lehkonen getting out of his slump! Good news either way. 2-1 San Jose.

Montreal forecheck is on point to start the period, keeping the Sharks in their zone.
Good powerplay. Habs get their best scoring chance off the rush, just like they do five-on-five.
Danault loses his race to the net and deflects the puck in. Yikes. it’s 3-1 Sharks.
Fourth line doing a great job this game. Their offensive pressure gives favorable zone starts to Habs top line.
About time Montreal was rewarded for their effort. The puck bounces a couple of times and into San Jose’s net. Who scored? No idea. Does it matter? It’s 3-2.
What a sequence by Victor Mete. He is still goalless, but playing an amazing two-hundred foot game right now. One of the best players on the ice.

Thoughts

Incredibly frustrating for a team to play well and not get the saves. Fortunately, it hasn’t happened often to the Habs through the years.
Kotkaniemi should be in for next game. He is rested and can push Weal down the lineup to replace Thompson who missed his coverage on the fourth goal.
Let’s hope the Habs bring the same energy tomorrow.