Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs Preview, Time, TV, Live Stream
The Montreal Canadiens are welcoming the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Bell Centre on the second half of a back-to-back in need of a response of their own.
Nothing gets better than a game like tonight. Saturday night, Hockey Night in Canada, Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Habs haven’t been able to get a stretch of wins going so far this season, having lost their latest game to the San Jose Sharks. The penalty kill didn’t do its job as Montreal allowed two goals on the man advantage. Both were from poor play in front of Carey Price in combination with wide-open passing lanes that allowed the Sharks to keep the puck moving.
Nick Cousins scored the lone goal of the Habs, which was his first with the team. He’s continuously looking to be a clutch signing for Marc Bergevin has he’s made an impact on the scoreboard in both games played so far.
Montreal will need to play that reliable game they are capable of. Their last matchup against the Leafs was an exciting one as they came back from a massive deficit and wound up winning the game in a shootout. That can’t happen again.
The Leafs are on the second half of a back-to-back and have Michael Hutchinson in net. They haven’t been the best in these circumstances, and the Montreal Canadiens can take advantage of it by dominating them at 5v5. That said, it can’t be a few minutes of hard play leading up to them taking their foot off the gas.
Toronto may not be the Selke of the NHL, but they make up for that in raw offensive power even without John Tavares in the lineup. The Montreal Canadiens need to learn from their last loss and clean things up on penalty kill. The Leafs top shooters in Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander can convert on chances quickly, and cross-ice passes are where their dirty work is done.
The same goes for the Leafs penalty kill. Kasperi Kapanen has scored two shorthanded goals so far this season and has benefited from his speed to break out of the zone. Paul Byron did this a lot for the Montreal Canadiens, and they’ll need to be aware of what is going on around them even when attacking.
Speaking of Byron, it’s been a very slow start for the 30-year-old, and it’s only a matter of time before he scores his first of the season. With the top lines shutting each other done, it may be a depth vs. depth game that will place a lot of responsibility on Byron and Jesperi Kotknaiemi.
The Habs have the goaltending battle won on paper as Price shows up for most nights but specifically games like these. He’ll be dialled in from the minute of puck drop; however, he isn’t a magician. The way the Montreal Canadiens play in front of him will quickly be a deciding factor as to whether they end the game with two points or not. And considering how the other teams in the Eastern Conference are performing, points are what the Habs need.