Gallagher’s absence was felt in the locker room and on the ice

After winning three straight games, the Montreal Canadiens finally lost last night to the San Jose Sharks in an extremely disappointing and frustrating game.
The Habs really didn't play a good game; everything was sloppy and ineffective, especially when it came time to score and try to tie the game at 3-3.
Several players had a bad game, which allowed the Sharks to run away with the victory without much pressure, while the Habs simply couldn't generate any momentum.
It was therefore a very frustrating 4-2 loss, but also an emotional one for the players, as we saw after the game. Why? Because it was the first time in 12 years—that is, since he began his career— that Brendan Gallagher was left out of the lineup, even though he is healthy.
This clearly shook up the locker room, as we saw Josh Anderson get very emotional after the game when answering questions about Gally.

Tune in to the postgame media session following tonight's game against San Jose Tune in now to live postgame media ops following tonight's game against the Sharks#GoHabsGo https://t.co/wEDNXceomU
— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) March 15, 2026

“It was really tough. He's a huge part of our team. There's no doubt about that. You never want to see a guy like Gally out of the lineup. It hurts.” — Josh Anderson
Gallagher's absence was clearly felt in the locker room, as we can see, but it was evident on the ice as well.
Even though Gally isn't at the top of his game anymore, and his body can't quite keep up with the current pace of the NHL, you could tell he wasn't there, especially on his line, which had a rough night.
Indeed, Josh Anderson, Phillip Danault, and Alexandre Texier, who made up the fourth line, struggled in several areas, particularly on defense, as they were on the ice for two of the Sharks' goals.
Worse still, both goals were long-range shots allowed by this line, as the forwards were late in attempting to block them.
Gallagher's energy—even if limited—was clearly missing during this game, and even for the entire team, there was a noticeable lack of dynamism, coordination, and enthusiasm.
Obviously, this is a tiny sample size, so we can't say for sure that Gallagher is a key spark for the Habs' success, but still. Let's see tonight how things go with Gallagher in the lineup against the Anaheim Ducks.

Now, what else stands out to me from this game? 1. Macklin Celebrini is a superstar The 19-year-old is simply impressive. Even at his age, he's capable of single-handedly changing the course of a game, just like Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon. What he does on the ice every time he steps onto the ice is masterful, and he's proven it against the Canadiens this season with seven points—including three goals—in two games against the Habs. 2. A tough game for Ivan Demidov
The young Russian appeared to get injured or hurt badly early in the game, and after that, he struggled in several plays. Bad passes, sluggishness, and poor decision-making. Let's hope he isn't hampered by an injury.
3. Cole Caufield scored again on Saturday night After missing a game due to illness, Caufield was back in the lineup, and he instantly took charge by scoring his 38th goal of the season, a career high for him.

#Habs” Cole Caufield drives to the net and shoots from the faceoff dot for a goal vs. #Sharks”
Assists: Slafkovsky, Dobson#GoHabsGo #NHL #Hockey @RocketSports pic.twitter.com/NMnZEvh34z
— Chris G (@ChrisHabs360) March 14, 2026

In a Flash – Indeed.

The NHL has long operated on the philosophy of players policing themselves, but perhaps the time has come for the league to do more to deter questionable hits.@amato_mike dives into that and more in his Sunday Overreactions. https://t.co/jdV3d7RPaK
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 15, 2026
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Liam Tep already has a lot of tools in his toolbox https://t.co/Yp29EmP4hY
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) March 15, 2026
— Here are the results of the second Grand Prix of the season.

Kimi Antonelli leads a Mercedes 1-2 in Shanghai!
Here are the points-scorers after a thrilling race #F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/pPRrqN3Yeq
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 15, 2026