3 most impressive Montreal Canadiens players from 4-3 OT win over San Jose Sharks feat. Nick Suzuki 

The Montreal Canadiens cannot afford to leave any points behind in the tightly-packed Eastern Conference standings if they are to have a realistic shot at making the postseason for the first time since their Cinderella-esque run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021.

Despite trailing against the lowly San Jose Sharks by a goal on three separate occasions on Thursday night at Bell Centre, the Habs rebounded each time to knot the score and then eventually secure the extra point in overtime thanks to Cole Caufield's game-deciding tally.

The win, their third straight, improved Montreal to 28-26-5, while the Sharks are now 15-36-9.

Both teams traded a pair of goals in the opening 20 minutes, as Fabian Zetterlund and Nico Sturm scored for the Sharks while Canadians captain Nick Suzuki scored twice; they entered the first intermission tied at 2-2 apiece.

Sharks forward Will Smith was the only goal scorer of the second period, giving San Jose the lead for the third time and setting up a tense final frame.

Early in the third period, the Canadiens once again found the tying marker, this time thanks to Alex Newhook. Neither team was able to find the back of the net for the remainder of the period, and were forced to play 3v3 overtime.

In the extra session, Cole Caufield sent the Habs faithful home happy with his 28th goal of the season:

Alex Georgiev made 29 saves in the losing effort while Sam Montembeault made 23 saves on 26 shots.

3 most impressive Montreal Canadiens players from 4-3 OT win over San Jose Sharks

#1. Nick Suzuki

Once again, the captain of the Canadiens is making his mark as he did in their recent victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.

Suzuki scored twice and added an assist for a team-high three points while finishing a +2 rating and blocking three shots from the Sharks.

#2. Cole Caufield

Montreal's leading goal scorer came through in the clutch once more for his team in a time where they desperately need to begin accumulating points in the standings.

Caufield scored an electric goal in overtime, securing the extra point for his team and sending Bell Centre into a frenzy; he also added an assist as part of the game.

#3. Jayden Struble

The young Canadiens blue liner led all defensemen in scoring against the Sharks with a goal and assist for two points; he also dropped the gloves, picking up a fighting major.

The Montreal Canadiens will look to keep their winning streak going when they face the Buffalo Sabres next at KeyBank Center on Saturday.