Montreal Canadiens have work to do falling to the Leafs 4-2

While this was apparent at times tonight, he still showcased the offensive skills that make him such a valuable player. A fairly uneventful start to the third was peppered with flashes of up and down play from both teams. 2018 third overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi showcased some impressive footwork and passing abilities, having come off an impressive 13 points in 13 games with the Rocket.

Price came back from an at times shaky first and second period to showcase his usual calmness, making a nice save on a Kapanen shot from in close. With just under eight minutes played, Kotkaniemi and defenseman Ben Chiarot showcased some impressive passing skills, with Chiarot getting off 2 great shots from the blueline. The second of which generated a rebound to the left side of the net, which Byron finished off, cutting the Leafs lead back to one.

A Justin Holl cross-check led to the Habs fourth powerplay of the game, which the Leafs once again took advantage of. Forward Zach Hyman curled out in front of Price before feeding the puck over to Rielly, who buried his own rebound for his third point of the game.

Right as the penalty expired, a nice stop and go play from Byron led to Chiarot’s fourth shot of the period, who showcased his ability to effectively man the first pairing alongside Weber. Penalties to defenseman Travis Dermott and Ceci both went unanswered, and pulling Price for the extra attacker proved fruitless, as the Leafs held on for the win.

It was an overall rough game for the Canadiens, who were simply outplayed by a superior Leafs team. Their powerplay struggles were clearly evident, and at times it seemed like they couldn’t keep up. Montreal will now move on to face the Penguins for game 1 of their qualifying series, August 1st.