Canadiens beat Sharks for 4th straight victory

Published 6:55 pm Saturday, February 28, 2009

MONTREAL — Andrei Markov and Saku Koivu each had a goal and an assist in Montreal’s three-goal first period and the Canadiens held on for a 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night.

Josh Gorges also scored in the first for Montreal, which beat Brian Boucher three times in a 6:42 span to take a 3-0 lead.

Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton drew San Jose within one just 1:55 into the second when they scored goals 49 seconds apart.

The Sharks outshot the Canadiens 46-21 overall, including a 14-4 margin in the second, and 18-7 in the third.

Jaroslav Halak made 44 saves to win his fourth straight start for the Canadiens, who had lost 12 of 15 (3-11-1) prior to their current streak.

Halak came up with a big stop midway through the third on a backhand from in close by Patrick Marleau, who hit the left post earlier in the period.

The San Jose captain did his part to get his team back in the game in the second when he made a patient pass from behind the net to set up Thornton’s goal.

Boucher stopped 18 shots in his second start in a row, including a 2-1 win in Ottawa on Thursday night.

Markov scored a power-play goal 11:05 in and former Sharks defenseman Josh Gorges made it 2-0 with his third goal at 13:27 when rookie Matt D’Agostini swiped a pass into the slot after he fell behind the net.

Koivu, who assisted on Gorges’ goal, got his 11th goal off a cross-ice pass from Markov at 17:47.

Pavelski scored his 18th goal on a power play 1:06 into the second period to cut the lead to 3-1. Halak moved off the right post as Pavelski found the puck at his feet in the goalmouth and pushed the puck into the open side.

Thornton got his 16th goal at 1:55 when he drove the right side of the slot to tuck Marleau’s pass from behind the net past Halak.

San Jose defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic shot high on a chance at a wide open net on San Jose’s next power play later in the second.

Notes: Sharks RW Claude Lemieux returned to the lineup after he

was rested for Thursday night’s 2-1 win in Ottawa. Lemieux had played 15 straight games since Jan. 20, when he made it back to the NHL after a 5½-year absence. The 43-year-old won the first of his four Stanley Cups in 1986 as a Canadiens rookie. … Montreal C Kyle Chipchura and RW Mathieu Dandenault were healthy scratches.