Brett Kulak and Nick Suzuki scored for the Canadiens.
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The Maple Leafs scored three unanswered goals in the second period to defeat the Canadiens 3-2 Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The win sealed first place in the North division for the Leafs, while the loss prevented the Habs from punching their ticket to the playoffs just yet.
Right from the opening puck drop, it was evident these were not the stagnant Canadiens of Thursday night who lost 5-2 to the same Leafs, and it wasn’t just because Phillip Danault wasn’t in the lineup because of a concussion. Danault’s replacement, Alex Belzile, made an immediate impact in his first regular season NHL game, going to the net and wreaking havoc in front of red hot Leafs goalie Jack Campbell. With Belzile and Artturi Lehkonen as screens, Brett Kulak shot through traffic past an obstructed Campbell for the game’s first goal only 3:34 into the contest. More importantly, the 1-0 opener reversed the team’s recent trend of giving up initial goals early. The Habs held the Leafs to only four shots in the first, and were able to stick to their game of creating chances off the rush.
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The Habs extended their lead 31 seconds into the second period when Nick Suzuki off the rush shot the puck low and with spin on it, which gave Campbell trouble as he tried to save it with his blocker and pad. The puck squeezed by him and into the net to make it 2-0. This late season push likely puts Suzuki ahead of Jeff Petry for team MVP honours. At the very least, he’s the straw that stirs the drink: entering the game the Habs were 19-5-6 when Suzuki gets a point.
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Then came arguably the turning point. Cole Caufield used his speed to take the puck down the ice on a break, but wily vet Jake Muzzin reached in with his stick to poke the puck away from Caufield. Was it penalty? A penalty shot? The refs thought it was a clean play, but Habs fans clamouring for more Bilbo magic may have thought otherwise:
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Just like that, the momentum swung in Toronto’s favour. Pierre Engvall turned and fired from the point, catching Allen off guard to reduce Montreal’s lead to 2-1. Then John Tavares in the slot made a heads up deflection pass to William Nylander at the side of the net, who scored in the open net to tie the game. In about 11 minutes, the Habs went from leading by two to surrendering the advantage when Mitch Marner executed a set play off the draw to beat Allen with a quick shot to give the Leafs the 3-2 lead. All night the Canadiens struggled in the faceoff dot, and not having their primary faceoff man Danault certainly hurt. Eric Staal went 1-11 in the defensive zone on draws, while Jesperi Kotkaniemi was 3-9. As a team, the Habs only won 38% of faceoffs.
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In the third period, the game got more physical. Ben Hutton slammed Josh Anderson into the boards, with Kotkaniemi returning the favour with a hit of his own on Travis Dermott. But the third also featured a pair of Canadiens forwards continuing to struggle to hit the scoresheet. Kotkaniemi, scoreless in 21 games, got the puck where he wanted around the faceoff circle, but his hard shot didn’t elevate enough, allowing Campbell to make the glove save. Anderson, pointless in nine, was headstrong to the net, but fired one wide at an inopportune time. With the goalie pulled, the Canadiens couldn’t sustain pressure in Toronto’s zone and the game ended with a 3-2 win for the home team. The Habs end the season series against their Original Six rival 3-6-1.
As it stands, the Leafs and Habs are expected to meet in the first round of the playoffs. The Habs will hope for more healthy bodies as they play their final two games of the season Monday and Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers. Connor McDavid will be motivated to pad his already impressive point totals as he completes a Hart-calibre season. The Liveblog commenters went from impressed to a mess in the second period. Then Hockey Night in Canada’s hotstove suggested a possible extension for Habs general manager Marc Bergevin, and well, you can guess how things went.
3. “Our only hope is to be healthy for the playoffs and hopefully surprise some people.” -Sami Mazloum
2. “And Molson and Bergevin talking contract???? Must be applying for CERT.” -Tom Foley (CERT? CERB? Either works…)
1. “A 2-0 lead and Habs outshooting Leafs by a 2-1 margin into the second period. Oh well. Down 3-2 to start the third, Habs get six perimeter shots and zero high danger chances in the period. Leafs win 3-2. The icing on the cake?! Elliott Friedman reports that Bergevin is “discussing” a contract extension with Molson. U N B E L I E V A B L E…” -Rudi Hittisau
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiemh0dHBzOi8vbW9udHJlYWxnYXpldHRlLmNvbS9zcG9ydHMvaG9ja2V5L25obC9ob2NrZXktaW5zaWRlLW91dC9hYm91dC1sYXN0LW5pZ2h0LWhhYnMtZG9vbWVkLW9uLWRyYXdzLWluLTMtMi1sb3NzLXRvLWxlYWZz0gGoAWh0dHBzOi8vbW9udHJlYWxnYXpldHRlLmNvbS9zcG9ydHMvaG9ja2V5L25obC9ob2NrZXktaW5zaWRlLW91dC9hYm91dC1sYXN0LW5pZ2h0LWhhYnMtZG9vbWVkLW9uLWRyYXdzLWluLTMtMi1sb3NzLXRvLWxlYWZzL3djbS9lMGIyNjc0Yy03NzY4LTQ2MzgtOTYzOC1mZDgwNDQ2N2U4NDAvYW1wLw?oc=5
2021-05-09 11:01:06Z
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