SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Macklin Celebrini had a goal and three assists, Kiefer Sherwood scored the tiebreaking goal on a power play with 3:26 remaining, and the San Jose Sharks beat the Montreal Canadiens 7-5 on Tuesday night.
Will Smith, Michael Misa, Collin Graf, Alexander Wennberg and Adam Gaudette also scored for the Sharks, who won their third straight since a four-game skid.
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San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) skates with the puck against Montréal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle (21) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Referees try to separate Montréal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson, middle left, and center Phillip Danault (24) from San Jose Sharks left wing Kiefer Sherwood, middle right, during the third period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) reaches for the puck under Montréal Canadiens defenseman Alexandre Carrier (45) and defenseman Mike Matheson during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Montréal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, left, skates toward the puck against San Jose Sharks left wing William Eklund during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Jose Sharks center Michael Misa (77) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the Montréal Canadiens during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Alex Newhook had two power-play goals for the Canadiens. Oliver Kapanen, Phillip Danault and Ivan Demidov also scored for Montreal, and Mike Matheson added three assists.
The Canadiens lost in regulation for the first time since Jan. 24 at Boston.
Playing in his fourth game since helping Canada to the silver medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics, the 19-year-old Celebrini scored his 30th goal of the season as part of a flurry in the second period when the Sharks scored three times in a span of 8:20 to take a 5-2 lead.
Canadiens rallied with three goals in the third. Newhook's second goal made it 5-5 midway through the third.
Sherwood got deep into Montreal’s zone and missed from close range, and Philipp Kurashev controlled the rebound and passed it back to Sherwood for the go-ahead goal.
Yaroslav Askarov had 30 saves for the Sharks. Jakub Dobes stopped 21 of 27 shots for the Canadiens.
Misa, whose overtime score capped San Jose’s comeback win over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday, scored midway through the second period to make it 2-all. Late in the second, Celebrini and Wennberg found the net 25 seconds apart.
Canadiens: At Anaheim on Friday.
Sharks: Host St. Louis on Friday.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) skates with the puck against Montréal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle (21) during the third period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Referees try to separate Montréal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson, middle left, and center Phillip Danault (24) from San Jose Sharks left wing Kiefer Sherwood, middle right, during the third period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) reaches for the puck under Montréal Canadiens defenseman Alexandre Carrier (45) and defenseman Mike Matheson during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Montréal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, left, skates toward the puck against San Jose Sharks left wing William Eklund during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
San Jose Sharks center Michael Misa (77) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the Montréal Canadiens during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
DALLAS (AP) — Longtime Sen. John Cornyn and MAGA favorite Ken Paxton are heading to a May runoff in Texas’ Republican Senate primary, setting up what's expected to be a nasty and expensive second round and a renewed push to win the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
On the Democratic side, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico were in a close race, competing for their party's nomination and the right to face the winner of the Cornyn-Paxton runoff in November.
Texas, along with North Carolina and Arkansas, kicked off midterm elections with control of Congress at stake and against the backdrop of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
Cornyn is seeking a fifth term but facing a tough challenge from Paxton, the state attorney general. He hopes to avoid becoming the first Republican senator in Texas history to seek reelection and not be renominated.
The GOP contest also featured U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, who finished a distant third and conceded. But him making it a three-way race made it tougher for any candidate to reach the 50% vote threshold needed to win the nomination outright and avoid the May 26 runoff.
All three campaigned on their ties to Trump, who did not make an endorsement in the race. Now both Cornyn and Paxton will again fiercely compete to curry the president's favor.
Cornyn was facing a tough enough battle that he didn't hold an election night party. Instead, in comments to reporters in Austin, he sought to make the case that a runoff win by Paxton would leave “a dead weight at the top of the ticket for Republicans.”
“I’ve worked for decades to build the Republican Party, both here in Texas and nationally,” Cornyn said. “I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton to risk everything we’ve worked so hard to build over these many years.”
Addressing supporters in Dallas, Paxton made a point of saying he felt like he had during a recent trip to Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida estate. He also proclaimed: “We proved something they’ll never understand in Washington.”
“Texas is not for sale,” he said.
A jubilant Talarico told supporters in Austin, “We are not just trying to win an election. We are trying to fundamentally change our politics. And it’s working.”
“This is proof that there is something happening in Texas,” he said, adding that the state “gave this country a little bit of hope.”
Crockett's campaign said she planned to sue over voting issues in Dallas, and the congresswoman said she would not make any public appearances until later Wednesday.
Cornyn’s cool relationship with Trump is part of what made him vulnerable. He and allied groups spent at least $64 million in television advertising alone since July to try stabilize his support.
Paxton, who began campaigning in earnest only last month, has made national headlines for filing lawsuits against Democratic initiatives. He remained popular in Texas despite a 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges, of which he was acquitted, and accusations of marital infidelity by his wife.
Senate GOP leaders, who are backing Cornyn, worry that Paxton’s liabilities would make it harder to defend the seat if he is the nominee — and require significant spending that could be better used elsewhere.
In the Democratic campaign, Crockett and Talarico each argued that they would be the stronger general election candidate in a state that backed Trump by almost 14 percentage points in 2024 and where no Democrat has won a statewide race in over 30 years.
Voting was extended in Dallas County and Williamson County, outside Austin, after voters reported being turned away and directed to different voting precincts because of new primary rules. Paxton’s office later challenged a decision keeping the polls open longer, and the state Supreme Court ruled that ballots cast by people not in line by 7 p.m. should be separated from others.
It was not immediately clear how the court’s action would be carried out or how many eligible ballots remained to be counted in Dallas County, Crockett’s home base. Crockett said she'd seek legal action after voting was concluded.
Crockett and Talarico waged a spirited race as Democrats look for their first Senate win in Texas since 1988.
Talarico, a seminarian who often references the Bible, held rallies across the state including in heavily Republican areas. Crockett has built a national profile for zinger attacks on Republicans and focused on turning out Black voters in the Dallas and Houston areas.
Dallas voter Tanu Sani said she cast her ballot for Talarico because he “really spoke to me in the way he tries to unify.”
Tomas Sanchez, a voter in Dallas County, said he supported Crockett because “she cares about immigrants, she cares about the American people in a way that a lot of the Republicans have proven they haven’t.”
Talarico outspent Crockett on television advertising by more than four to one as of late February. He got a burst of attention — and campaign contributions — last month from CBS' decision not to air his interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert, who said the network pulled the interview for fear of angering Trump's FCC.
Texas’ races also featured new congressional district boundaries that GOP lawmakers — urged on by Trump — redrew to help elect more Republicans. The result matched several Democratic incumbents in primary fights and set up new general election battlegrounds.
In the 34th District, former Rep. Mayra Flores was attempting a comeback but was defeated by Eric Flores, a lawyer endorsed by Trump, for the nomination to run against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez. Mayra Flores made history in a 2022 special election as the first Republican to win in the Rio Grande Valley in 150 years but lost her bid for a full term later that year.
In the 23rd District, Rep. Tony Gonzales is considered vulnerable after an alleged affair with a staffer who killed herself. He faced a challenge from gun manufacturer and YouTube influencer Brandon Herrera, who calls himself “the AK guy.” The district includes Uvalde, site of a deadly 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School.
Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw lost his primary to state Rep. Steve Toth, who was endorsed by Sen. Ted Cruz.
Former Major League Baseball star Mark Teixeira clinched the Republican primary to succeed GOP Chip Roy in southwest Texas’ 21st District.
Democrat Bobby Pulido, a Latin Grammy winner, won his party's primary in South Texas' 15th District against physician Ada Cuellar. Pulido will face two-term Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz.
In the 33rd District, Democratic Rep. Julie Johnson faced former Rep. Colin Allred, a former NFL linebacker and 2024 Senate nominee.
Democratic Rep. Al Green was fighting to stay in office after his Houston-based 9th District was drawn to lean Republican. Green, 78, ran in a newly drawn 18th District against Democratic Rep. Christian Menefee, 37, who won a January special election for the current 18th District.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott easily won his primary and will face Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa. Roy advanced to a primary runoff with Mayes Middleton for attorney general.
Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Sara Cline and Jamie Stengle in Dallas and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed.
Supporters of Texas state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, react as results come in during a primary election watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks during a primary election watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, poses for a selfie with a supporter during a primary election night watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, speaks to the media Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Jack Myer)
A supporter of Texas state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, watches as results come in during a primary election night watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Supporters of Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, arrive for a primary election night watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
A supporter of Texas state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, wears a Texas state flag in their hat during a primary election watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
U.S. Reps. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, Jasmine Crockett of Texas and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, speak with voters during primary election day at the West Gray Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Raquel Natalicchio /Houston Chronicle via AP)
James Talarico, a Texas Democratic primary candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks during an event at the University of Houston Monday, March 2, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Primary candidate for U.S. Senate Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, responds to a question during a broadcast interview at a campaign stop in Dallas, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, addresses supporters during a campaign stop, Monday, March 2, 2026, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, speaks during a campaign stop in The Woodlands, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Annie Mulligan)
