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(Sports Network) - It took a while for the San Jose Sharks to shake off their Olympic-break rust, but ultimately it was too little too late. San Jose will hope for better results tonight, when it continues a five-game homestand versus the Montreal Canadiens at HP Pavilion.

The Sharks were back in action for the first time since the break on Tuesday, when they began their residency versus the New Jersey Devils. San Jose fell behind by four goals before lighting the lamp three times in the third frame. However, the Sharks couldn't complete the rally in a 4-3 setback, their third loss in four games both overall and at home.

San Jose scored three times during a 2:46 span in the third. Devin Setoguchi tallied twice and Joe Pavelski got his team within one with 8:28 remaining.

"It was more getting our heads back into it," Setoguchi said. "Being away from the game for so long, mentally you've got to be sharp. Just a couple mistakes and you find yourself down 2-0, and then a quick power-play goal and it's three."

Evgeni Nabokov allowed four goals on 25 shots in the loss, which left San Jose now tied with Chicago for first place in the Western Conference. It also trails Washington by three points for the most in the NHL and did not make a move prior to Wednesday's trade deadline.

"We're confident and we believe in the players we have and the players from [the AHL's] Worcester who would have been here without the cap system," general manager Doug Wilson told San Jose's Web site. "There were a couple of players we talked about who we didn't know if their team would move them or not and they decided not to."

Unlike the Sharks, the Canadiens were able to claim victory in their first game following the layoff. Montreal was in Boston on Tuesday and handed the Bruins a 4-1 setback.

The Habs trailed by a goal heading into the third period, but Glen Metropolit sparked a four-goal frame when he scored 2:40 into the session. Maxim Lapierre, Mathieu Darche and Benoit Pouliot followed with goals for Montreal, which had lost three of four before the Olympic break.

Carey Price was strong in net with 23 stops.

The win moved Montreal a point past Boston and the New York Rangers and into seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The victory also kicked off a four- game road trip for Montreal, which has still lost six of its last nine on the road.

Like San Jose, Montreal also did not make a trade yesterday.

"We wanted to add a veteran presence and we did that by acquiring [center] Dominic Moore before the Olympic break, but keeping our nucleus together was our top priority," Habs general manager Pierre Gauthier told his team's site. "We didn't want to make too many changes and our plan was to keep our team intact."

The Habs earned a 3-2 home victory over the Sharks last season to give them a win in two of the last three meetings between the teams. However, they were dealt a 6-4 setback in their last trip to San Jose on March 3, 2008 and have lost four straight at HP Pavilion.

Montreal hasn't picked up a win at San Jose since November 23, 1999.