Things were not well with the Montreal Canadiens as they landed in San Jose for a game with the San Jose Sharks. The Habs hadn’t won in San Jose since 1999, and hadn’t won in regulation since 1997. For reference, the last time Montreal beat the Sharks away from Montreal, the first Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game was released for the PlayStation and Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace was dominating theaters.
The Canadiens needed to get off on the right foot, and with Dominique Ducharme opting to make no lineup changes, there were a lot of players who had a spotlight on them to step up and fill that role.