Leafs fall short in house of horrors
Young squad gets reality check vs. Habs in netminding duel
MONTREAL— The Montreal Canadiens have pretty much had their way with the Maple Leafs the last few seasons.
And with Shea Weber and Carey Price at their dominating best, the trend continued Saturday night.
Weber’s third-period power-play goal on a wicked slapshot held up as the winner, and Price held off a relentless 38-shot attack by the Maple Leafs for a 2-1victory — the 11th straight over their historic rivals.
“We had a ton of rubber at their net, and (Price) played real well,” said Leafs coach Mike Babcock. “You know coming in here he’s going to play real well. We have to find a way to get it by him. We had chances, and we didn’t get them by him.
“We have to find a way to score against Montreal.”
The Leafs, with young guns Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander, are causing a buzz throughout the league even if the team’s record (23-3) isn’t all that great. Saturday in Montreal was no exception, with the local media grilling Marner and Matthews be- fore the game and Nylander — easily the best Toronto skater on the ice, with an assist on Nazem Kadri’s goal — after it.
It’s obvious that the Habs — off to an 8-0-1 start — are the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference. But it’s just as obvious to them that the Leafs are an up-and-coming team that might finally be able to hold up their end of the bargain in what has been a one-sided rivalry.
“Their lineup is incredible,” said Montreal captain Max Pacioretty, “especially up front. They’re a fun team to watch. There’s so much skill on that team. Mat- thews and Nylander and Marner are fun to watch.
“I know they have young guys, and I’m hoping they hate us just as much as their old guys. That makes for a fun Saturday.”
The Leafs are 0-7-4 head to head since last beating Montreal on Jan. 18, 2014 at the Air Canada Centre. The Leafs haven’t won in Montreal since Oct. 1, 2013.
Indications are, however, that the Leafs can now at least skate with the Habs. Saturday night was indeed a fun one, as entertaining a game as the teams have played against each other in some time. It was river hockey, really. Lots of chances in both directions.
The goaltending of Price and Frederik Andersen kept the game close and the score low. Both made terrific third-period glove saves with the game tied 1-1.
“They were both outstanding,” Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly said. “Carey Price, in my opinion, is one of the best, if not the best goalie going, and Freddie is right behind him. He played outstanding. He plays the puck extremely well. He has lots of confidence back there.
“The way he played, he deserved a better outcome.”
Morgan Rielly was the goat on Montreal’s first goal, failing to intercept a pass at the Leafs blue line, leading to an odd-man rush with Alex Galchenyuk capitalizing for the only goal of the second period.
Just when Price seemed impenetrable, Kadri’s nice redirect of a Nylander shot tied it early in the third.
“I loved our effort, I loved our enthusiasm, but at the end of the day (Price) just stole one from us,” said Kadri.
Montreal’s four-on-three power play set up Weber’s winning blast from the point.
“That was on the coaches. Our plan wasn’t good enough. We shouldn’t have let Weber hammer away there,” said Babcock.
The way the Leafs’ season has gone, usually two goals against would mean a win. While Price got the better of Toronto shooters — he faced a six-on-five for more than two minutes at the end of the game — the Leafs can be happy that Andersen has turned his game around.
“It came down to one goal,” said Andersen. “Definitely, we have some things we can build on. We did well, but sometimes you’re going to run into another team that’s playing well. Only one team can win the game, and two good teams met today.”
He has allowed only two goals in each of his last two games, after struggling through his first four.
“It’s going the right direction,” said Andersen. “Got to keep building on it. I feel confident.”