First period
- The thing that stands out immediately in this game is how much more room Toronto is allowing Montreal versus what the Ottawa Senators did last night.
- Montreal gets an early power play. Even on it the Maple Leafs aren’t really challenging the puck-carriers. Montreal has some space, but the Leafs do close down the passing lanes quite well.
- The Habs are the better team, but the effort id far from what I’d call ‘urgent’ to start. Maybe they’re playing the long game and hoping to wear down the Leafs’ five defencemen.
- They also can’t turn their play into shots, for whatever reason.
- Now the Canadiens are having a hard time making a pass to get through the neutral zone. They just don’t like first periods it seems.
- Montreal has two shots on the board as the first period comes to an end. You’re not going to win a hockey game if you can’t hit the net.
Second period
- Significantly more urgency as Christian Dvorak’s line starts with a couple of chances.
- The top line follows up with another flurry of chances. This is more like it.
- Josh Anderson gets two minutes for hitting Brandon Tanev too hard. The defenceman was thrown off balance and had to turn into the boards, and it was called boarding.
- Kaiden Guhle landed two massive, clean hits on Bobby McMann and then John Tavares, and now he has to fight Max Domi.
- Domi gets an extra minor for starting the fight.
- Montreal could really use a goal here.
- Montreal could really use a shot here.
- Zero shots on the power play, and now the Habs are headed to a penalty kill.
- Montreal hung on by the skin of David Savard’s knees but got the kill.
- The Habs remain mostly in Toronto’s zone, but just can’t get any shots through to Anthony Stolarz.
- Alex Newhook gets the best chance of the period as he walks in alone in the final seconds .. and misses the net. I’ve never seen a person with aim as poor as his.
- Montreal has seven shots through two periods of play, but 31 attempts at five-on-five at 15 scoring chances. If they could just manage to get something through.
Third period
- Two chances for Montreal to open the third. Two missed shots. Is there a forcefield around Toronto’s net?
- Then Michael Pezzetta takes a holding the stick penalty. That could very well have been the last play of his Canadiens career.
- Anderson took a high stick on the Leafs power play, but no call is made.
- Anderson and Tavares go off for a joust at the benches. Probably not a bad trade-off.
- Dobes makes an incredible kick save on Nick Robertson.
- Another Canadiens penalty is coming. Savard is called for a light tap on the back of McMann’s leg to give Toronto a five-on-three. Not even Craig Simpson can believe that call. The refs are really having their say in this third period.
- Toronto gets five shots, but doesn’t score.
- Dobes is doing his best work to keep this game scoreless.
- Lane Hutson completes a perfect backcheck to keep Matthew Knies to the outside, and stops as Knies turns back looking to make a play across the ice and gets his stick on the pass. One of the greatest defensive plays of the season by the rookie.
- A great shift for Montreal results in three shot to bring their total to 11 on the night. They very nearly got one to go.
- An encouraging sequence from Montreal as they go for the regulation win.
- Toronto is just leaving four players back now. They could use a point for the division title hopes as well.
- Now the Leafs turn things up a bit with four minutes to play.
- Suzuki gets one last chance, and hits the side of the net with the shot.
- That’s not a clinching result, but it’s still a big point. It eliminates the Detroit Red Wings and leaves the Columbus blue Jackets as the only threat to Montreal position. Montreal also only needs two more points (their own or lost by Columbus) from here to knock out the Jackets.
Overtime
- Suzuki almost jammed in the puck on an end-to-end rush for another overtime winner, but didn’t convert and lost his stick in the process.
- Toronto comes the other way on a three-on-two and scores to end it.
- So still two more points needed for Montreal to clinch their spot, but they can do so without a regulation win.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) How about those refs, am I right?
2) Always the correct choice
1) Two important questions
