Canadiens follow Anderson’s lead to fight off Sharks for third straight win
When Josh Anderson returned after he tweaked something in the second period, he didn’t fire home the game-changing goal. But he did all the stuff you need to do to win, just like he always does, and the Canadiens followed him into the fight.
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MONTREAL — It’s just over a minute into the third period of a game Josh Anderson has unexpectedly returned to. He checked out in the 13th minute of the second after the knee he’s been playing injured on for over two months failed to support his weight, but then he checked back in when no one thought he’d be able to. And this wasn’t just a finish-the-game type of effort he was about to deliver; it was an inspire-the-Canadiens-to-a-win type of effort.
Up and down the ice, Anderson did what he always does. For 50 straight seconds, he hunted.
First, he smacked Marc-Edouard Vlasic in the neutral zone. Then, after blocking Vlasic’s shot, he charged down the ice as if nothing was bothering that wonky knee of his and popped Timothy Liljegren to finish his shift and create the momentum Owen Beck, Patrik Laine and Alex Newhook capitalized on to make it 3-3 a shift later.
A couple hits sandwiching a blocked shot… Small stuff, really.
But add up all the little things that put the Canadiens over on the San Jose Sharks and Anderson’s small stuff seems a lot bigger.
They needed this 4-3 win badly to keep their winning streak alive and keep their pulse beating in the suffocating playoff race that’s developed in the Eastern Conference. They were blowing it with poor decisions, but Anderson’s combativeness stimulated theirs.
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“He’s a warrior,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis.
He’d agree Anderson is also just a desperate hockey player who wants the Canadiens to be where he thrives most — in the playoffs again for first time since 2021.
How else can you explain what the 30-year-old has been doing since New York Rangers forward Arthur Kaliyev fell on his left knee in the second minute of the second period of a game back on Jan. 19?
On that night Anderson had to be carried to the room by two Canadiens trainers, but he returned just eight minutes later.
Anderson hasn’t missed a game since.
He has missed every morning skate since. He’s practised only once since. But he has refused to miss any opportunity to help the Canadiens pull off the improbable — even on this night, which was just two after he ran full-force into the glass and left late in a 4-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
“He is an animal,” Cole Caufield said.
“It’s amazing to see,” Nick Suzuki added. “There’s probably not a lot of guys in the league who would play through what he’s been going through, and he goes face-first into the boards (the last game) and he’s right back to it. He’s one of the toughest guys in the league that I’ve seen, and he’s playing amazing at the same time.”
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There isn’t much evidence of it on the score sheet. Anderson only had nine goals and 19 points in 57 games coming into this one, and that’s what he had by the end of it. He didn’t fire home the tying or winning goal, he watched Newhook and Caufield score them. And he watched Suzuki put up the first two to erase 1-0 and 2-1 leads San Jose got.
But Anderson did the stuff you need to do to win, just like he always does, and the Canadiens followed him into the fight.
Lane Hutson didn’t get down on himself after allowing Fabian Zetterlund to beat him to the Canadiens’ net and open the scoring. He kept pushing and later notched his 40th assist of the season on Suzuki’s second goal to put himself in the same sentence as one of the greatest players to ever play his position.
Beck, Laine and Newhook were beat on Nico Sturm’s goal to make it 2-1 Sharks, and it was no coincidence they rallied for the 3-3 goal after Anderson set the table for them.
On the play, Beck took a big hit but stuck with his forecheck, got the puck and registered his first NHL point. He was following Anderson’s lead.
“The guys see it, they know what he’s going through,” said St. Louis. “Andy’s a player who’s inspired many people since the start of the season with his work ethic and his attitude. I’d have liked for him to be compensated tonight for all his good chances.”
Anderson was compensated with the win.
That’s what he and the Canadiens have been playing so hard for, against odds that worsened when they lost eight of nine games going into the 4 Nations break.
They haven’t gotten much better despite three wins in a row coming out of that break. The Canadiens have only made up one point on the teams they’re chasing for a wild-card spot, but they continue to fight like Anderson’s been fighting.
“It’s all hands on deck,” said Caufield. “It’s do or die now. We look at the standings every day now. I think everyone does. The league’s pushing. We’ve just got to stay afloat right now and stay in the mix.”
