The last time the Montreal Canadiens faced the San Jose Sharks, they were hoping a recent slide was just a hiccup in their promising start to the season.
This time, they are hopeful a desperate run might save it.
While the visiting Canadiens are holding onto their postseason hopes by a thread in the Eastern Conference, the Sharks look to lengthen the rope between them and the rest of the bubble teams in the West by continuing their defensive dominance in this series on Monday night.
After a 19-4-3 start to the season, Montreal (30-27-5) has drifted to 13th place in the East and trails eighth-place Pittsburgh by five points.