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Final Score: Montreal 2 - San Jose 3

San Jose, CA (Sports Network) - Dany Heatley and Manny Malhotra scored in less than a three-minute span in the third period, lifting San Jose to a 3-2 win over Montreal.

Patrick Marleau also scored, while Evgeni Nabokov made 28 saves, including all 11 shots he saw in the final period as the Sharks snapped a two-game skid and moved two points ahead of Chicago into first place in the Western Conference.

Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta each had a goal and an assist for the Canadiens, who lost for the third time in four contests. Carey Price stopped 37 shots, but the Canadiens dropped into a tie with Atlanta and the New York Rangers for eighth in the East.

"He kept us in it and gave us a chance," Canadiens defenseman Hal Gill said of Price. "I wish we could have gotten that win for him."

The Sharks lost center Scott Nichol to an undisclosed injury early in the final period when he was smashed from behind from Maxim Lapierre after hitting the post on a breakaway attempt. The force of Lapierre's hit drove Nichol into the boards behind the net, although no penalty was called as a result.

"It was a really dirty hit," San Jose's Dan Boyle said of the incident. "You can paralyze a guy like that. There's no place for that in hockey."

The Sharks used the non-call as a rallying cry. They took advantage of a Roman Hamrlik hooking penalty and tied the game at 12:32 on Heatley's 33rd goal of the season. Boyle unleashed a shot from the left circle, but Heatley was in front to direct the disc by Price.

The winning goal came 2:33 later when Torrey Mitchell directed a pass from above the left circle to the slot, where Malhotra let go a one-timer into the net.

Montreal had several chances late for the tying tally, but Nabokov was equal to the task. He lifted the glove to stop a rising left circle shot from Andrei Kostitsyn with 49.1 seconds left. Gionta's attempt from the slot was gobbled up by the San Jose netminder. In the waning seconds, Benoit Pouliot got loose at the left side of the net, but sent the puck wide.

Gionta scored midway through the first period, but Marleau tied the game with his career-high 39th goal of the season, a short-handed marker, 53 seconds into the second.

Gomez lit the lamp on the power play at the 2:06 mark. Boyle failed on an opportunity during a penalty shot with 6:29 left in the second. Boyle was given the chance when Gill was given a penalty for throwing Price's stick in front of the net. Boyle, though, hit the crossbar.