Undaunted by media and fan pressure to make a deal at Wednesday's trade deadline, new Montreal general manager Pierre Gauthier stayed true to his word and resisted the temptation of overhauling his roster.

The team's relative inactivity — aside from the small trade Gauthier completed on Tuesday night when he shipped forward Matt D'Agostini to St. Louis for minor-leaguer Aaron Palushaj — was a clear message to the players that if they are to earn a playoff berth this season, they'll have do it with the current squad.

"I told the team that any success we will have this season will come from the group being able to put it together from within," Gauthier told reporters. "It doesn't mean you're telling them there's not going to be any changes, but you are telling them you are not looking to add to the challenge."

That challenge looms as Montreal continues its four-game road trip against the first-place San Jose Sharks Thursday night (10:30 p.m. ET).

The Canadiens (30-28-6) are fighting for one of the final few playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Montreal sits in seventh place, just one point ahead of Boston.

Coming off the Olympic break Tuesday night, the stretch run began on a positive note for the Habs, who used a late surge to defeat the Bruins, 4-1. Trailing 1-0 after 40 minutes, Montreal received goals from Glen Metropolit, Maxim Lapierre, Mathieu Darch and Benoit Pouliot to earn an important victory.

Considering the circumstances, goaltender Carey Price had a solid game in net. Price, who was continually mentioned in trade talks leading up to Wednesday, stopped 23 of 24 shots.

There was speculation that Gauthier could unload either Price or Jaroslav Halak, but he gave both goaltenders a vote of confidence by refusing to deal them.

"These two young goalies are very good and they've been a very strong part of our team in this injury-riddled season," Gauthier said. "Our best chance to make the playoffs this year was to keep both these young guys who give us a chance to win every night."

Slumping Sharks

The Sharks (40-14-9), meanwhile, came out of their Olympic break with a listless performance against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night. The 4-3 loss featured a 20-shot effort — a season low by a team tied for first in the Western Conference alongside the Chicago Blackhawks with 89 points.

It was the second straight loss for San Jose dating back to a Feb. 13 defeat to Buffalo.

"I think we had eight guys that didn't have a shot on goal," coach Todd McLellan said. "It can't be fun playing the game like that. You put 60 minutes in and you have no chance of scoring."

For the Sharks to secure the top spot in the West, they'll need to get their best scorers back on track. Dany Heatley (32 goals) didn't register a goal for a season-high fifth straight game, and fellow Canadian Olympian Patrick Marleau (38) equalled his longest drought after the Devils held him scoreless for the sixth consecutive time.

"We're not very happy with how we played in the second," said defenceman Boyle. "Obviously, that was not a very good period on our part and that's why we were down 3-0. The first goal was a huge mistake of mine and I'm upset with myself."