SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Jake Allen made 45 saves, Mike Hoffman scored for the third straight game and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Sharks 4-0 Thursday night for their first victory in San Jose in nearly 22 years.
Alexander Romanov and Brendan Gallagher also scored goals as Montreal snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Sharks, who looked rather flat in their first game at home after an encouraging five-game road trip.
The Canadiens’ last road victory against the Sharks before Thursday came on Nov. 23, 1999. They hadn’t beat San Jose in any location since March 2015. Montreal, a Stanley Cup finalist last season, entered the night 1-6 and having been outscored 25-11.
The 31-year-old Allen, serving as the Canadiens’ No. 1 goalie while Carey Price is away from the team for personal reasons, notched his 22nd career shutout.
Adin Hill made 28 saves for San Jose, which went 0 for 4 on the power play and missed a few prime scoring chances in the opener of a five-game homestand. After winning their season opener at home, the Sharks, playing without suspended star forward Evander Kane, went 3-2 on their recent five-game road swing.
Hoffman broke a scoreless tie with a put-back of Brett Kulak’s shot with 7:51 remaining in the first. Montreal increased its lead on Romanov’s one-timer at 8:53 of the second period. A few minutes after that, Gallagher scored a power-play goal when he deposited a pass from Anderson while camped to the left of the net.
Anderson added an empty-net goal with about two minutes remaining to make it 4-0.
NIETO INJURY
The Sharks were without forward Matt Nieto, who is day to day with a lower body injury suffered while blocking a shot Tuesday against Nashville. Nieto notched just one point, on an assist, in San Jose’s first six games.
QUICK START
When Hoffman scored the game’s first goal with 7:51 remaining in the opening period, it marked just the second time in eight games this season that Montreal scored first.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Gallagher’s second-period goal was his first of the season and the 188th of his career. With three more, he’ll tie Saku Koivu for 27th on Montreal’s all-time list.
UP NEXT
Canadiens: Visit the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday in the third game of their four-game West Coast swing.
Sharks: Host Winnipeg on Saturday to continue a five-game homestand.
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Joe Stiglich, The Associated Press
