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Maple Leafs @ Canadiens: OT Hero Again | HABS RECAP

Rick Stephens

Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs Game Recap: Habs Line-up, Score, Statistics, Highlights, Post-game Interviews, NHL Three-Stars

FINAL/OT | Game 51, Home Game 26 | Monday May 3, 2021
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC

CANADIENS

Montreal

3-2

MAPLE LEAFS

Toronto
Cole Caufield (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Canadiens Lineup

Forward lines

Tyler Toffoli – Nick Suzuki – Joel Armia

 Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Phillip Danault – Josh Anderson

Artturi Lehkonen – Jake Evans – Cole Caufield

Michael Frolik – Eric Staal – Corey Perry

Defence pairings

Ben Chiarot – Alexander Romanov

Joel Edmundson – Jeff Petry

Brett Kulak – Jon Merrill

Goaltenders

Jake Allen – Cayden Primeau 

Scratches

Erik Gustafsson

Taxi Squad

Joseph Blandisi, Charlie Lindgren, Michael Pezzetta, Joel Teasdale

Injuries

Brendan Gallagher (hand), Carey Price (concussion), Paul Byron (lower-body), Jonathan Drouin (undisclosed), Tomas Tatar (lower-body), Shea Weber (upper-body)

Game Report

The Montreal Canadiens have won three straight games, catching the Winnipeg Jets who have lost seven straight. Each team has 57 points in the North division with Winnipeg getting the nod for third spot by virtue of regulation wins.

The Canadiens moved 10 points ahead of Calgary, with the Flames holding one game in hand. It’s a remarkable turn of events given that a week ago, the Habs were concerned about losing three straight to the Flames. At that point, a playoff spot was not a certainty and now Montreal is challenging for a first round date with the Edmonton Oilers.

Featured prominently in this playoff push the past two games has been the overtime heroics of Cole Caufield. There have been only two other players in NHL history to score each of their first two career goals in overtime. Caufield is the first one to do it in back-to-back games. That’s astonishing!

All the excitement has blurred the fact that while the Canadiens have started a short winning streak, they haven’t been playing good hockey at 5-on-5. Tonight there was Caufield’s three-on-three goal, a power-play goal by Tyler Toffoli and a 6-on-5 goal with just under a minute left to tie it and send the game to overtime.

Not only did the Canadiens not score at 5-on-5, they had just one high-danger scoring  chance in the game. To repeat, just one high quality scoring chance at 5-on-5 in 60 minutes of play. That’s also astonishing!

Both goals by the Leafs came at 5-on-5. The Canadiens win came via special teams. While that is positive, it’s hard to believe that the Habs can come out on the winning side of a seven game series with Toronto by winning the special teams battle.

Up Next

The Canadiens will practice at 11:30 am at Brossard on Tuesday and then board a train for afternoon travel to Ottawa. The Senators will host the Canadiens on Wednesday night.

Plus

▲  Nick Suzuki, Jeff Petry, Artturi Lehkonen, Cole Caufield, Tyler Toffoli 

Minus

▼  Joel Edmundson, Jon Merrill, Alexander Romanov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Game Preview

Check out the game preview here: Maple Leafs @ Canadiens: In Control

The Numbers

Game Statistics
CANADIENS   MAPLE LEAFS
23 Shots 29
52 Face-off % 48
1-for-4 Power Play 0-for-3
6 Penalty Minutes 8
30 Hits 19
28 Corsi For 41
Scoring Summary
FINAL 1 2 3 OT SO T
Canadiens (24-18-9) 0 1 1 1 – 3
Maple Leafs (33-13-6) 1 1 0 0 – 2
Scorers Goalies
  • MTL: Toffoli (28)-PPG, Danault (5), Caufield (2)
  • TOR: Rielly (5), Matthews (39)
  • MTL: Allen (W) 10-9-4
  • TOR: Campbell (OTL) 13-2-2

Stars of the Game

Official NHL Three Stars
  1. Cole Caufield  MTL
  2. Nick Suzuki  MTL
  3. Auston Matthews  TOR

Watch

Video Highlights

What Did They Say?

Post-game Quotes

Dominique Ducharme

  • “It wasn’t perfect, but we found a way to stay in the game. We lacked energy in the second period, but we managed to make a big play to tie things up before getting a huge win.”

Nick Suzuki

  • “We’ve been really resilient. We’ve been down in all the games. It’s not something we’re looking for, but it just shows a lot of character in the group that we have on the ice. We’re doing a great job coming back. We’re putting pressure on them. It’s going to be fun down the stretch.”

Cole Caufield

  • “It’s a challenging game. It’s something that doesn’t come easy at all. You’ve got to work for it and earn your spot and earn your trust with the guys. That’s something that you’ve got to respect about the game. It’s been a lot of fun. Obviously, it’s more fun when you’re winning, but the guys have been so good. Bringing a consistent level each night is something that we’re striving to do and it feels pretty good right now.”

Quotes courtesy of NHL.com

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