The Montreal Canadiens lost their fifth straight game on Tuesday night, falling 4-1 at home to the San Jose Sharks.
It was a disappointing performance to start 2018 as the Canadiens' offense sputtered against Sharks' backup goaltender Aaron Dell. Montreal mustered 31 shots on goal, but scored just once when Andrew Shaw capitalized on a 5-on-3 power play.
The Canadiens have now scored just four goals in their last five games, providing very little support for netminders Carey Price and Antti Niemi. Captain Max Pacioretty registered an assist on Shaw's goal, but extended his goal drought to one in his last 22 games.
NHL Trade Rumors: Canadiens actively shopping Pacioretty, says Kypreos
Timo Meier scored two goals for San Jose, which bounced back from its emphatic 6-0 loss on New Year's Eve to the Dallas Stars.
Montreal (16-20-4) now trails Carolina (18-13-8) by eight points for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference and has played one additional game. The Canadiens will try to end the losing streak when they host the NHL's top team, the Tampa Bay Lightning (29-8-2), on Thursday night at Bell Centre.