Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens (33-17-9) are set to face the San Jose Sharks (29-25-4), with the puck drop scheduled for 10:00 pm ET.
The Habs have only won two of their last four games, but they’re doing a great job collecting points, as both losses in that stretch took place in overtime. Therefore, they’ve collected six out of eight points in the previous match ups. It’s not an ideal way to qualify for the playoffs, in the sense that wins are obviously preferable, but every point is important when dealing with the hotly contested playoff race in the Eastern Conference.
As for the Sharks, they’ve enjoyed a significant improvement in their overall game this season, due in no small part to 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini’s quick evolution into a dominant player. After a successful rookie season that saw him score 25 goals and 38 assists, Celebrini has taken his game to another level, to the tune of 29 goals and 54 assists this season.
With 83 points to his credit, Celebrini has twice the amount of points of the next highest scoring Shark (Will Smith, 41 points). He’s done such a good job helping improve the Sharks that they’re actually still in the playoff race, a situation few people predicted at the start of the season.
San Jose’s playoff odds currently sit at 30.6%, which suggests they’ll approach Tuesday’s game with a high level of intensity and preparedness. Simply put, they can’t afford to lose many more games if they want to follow in Montreal’s footsteps and clinch a surprise playoff spot early in their rebuild.
The Canadiens, on the other hand, aren’t guaranteed to make the playoffs, but with 85% odds, they’re sitting in a very comfortable situation.
Lineup Changes, Starting Goalie
Head coach Martin St-Louis will run with the same goaltender that won versus the Washington Capitals on Saturday, which means rookie Jakub Dobes will get the start versus the Sharks. It all but confirms he’s now considered the team’s starter.
The numbers tell us that Samuel Montembeault has not performed as poorly as some have suggested, but the fact remains that Dobes has not lost a game in regulation since December 9. He is also sporting an .893 save percentage, which is far from elite, but is still significantly better than Montembeault’s .874.
The rest of the lineup will remain intact, with Alex Texier and Arber Xhekaj serving as healthy scratches.
No changes for Habs. Dobes starts
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) March 3, 2026
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Kirby Dach
Juraj Slafkovsky – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Alex Newhook – Jake Evans – Zach Bolduc
Josh Anderson – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Mike Matheson – Kaiden Guhle
Lane Hutson – Noah Dobson
Jayden Struble – Alex Carrier
Jakub Dobes
San Jose Sharks Projected Lineup
Will Smith – Macklin Celebrini – Kiefer Sherwood
William Ekblund – Michael Misa – Tyler Toffoli
Collin Graf – Alexander Wennberg – Philipp Kurashev
Barclay Goodrow – Zach Ostapchuk – Pavol Regenda
Dmitry Orlov – John Klingberg
Mario Ferraro – Shakir Mukhamadullin
Sam Dickinson – Vincent Desharnais
Yaroslaf Askarov
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Sharks
The Montreal Canadiens versus the San Jose Sharks, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, will be aired on TSN2, RDS. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle takes place.
