Leafs - Habs games are always a special occasion. Even when the teams are bad, it remains one of the pre-eminent rivalries in the NHL, particularly in Canada. This year, there’s added spice to the matchup. For the first time in a while, both teams have promise. The Leafs, as we know, have a wealth of young talent, including three prospects who can very conceivably join the elite names of the league. The Canadiens, despite retaining French Carlyle and trading PK Subban, are off to an incredibly hot start. And it’s not all due to the return of Carey Price. They’re legitimately playing well, and represent a tough step up in competition for the Leafs. The last contender Toronto played was Tampa Bay, and despite heroic efforts from Auston Matthews and William Nylander, the Leafs were dummied in that game. Hopefully, we see a better process and result here.

Pregame
  • This is by far the worst HNIC montage I’ve seen in my life.
  • Seriously, what the fuck was that?
  • Terrible montage aside, I should give some props to Rogers for fixing most of the horrific elements of their pregame and production in general. Things like Strombo awkwardly being put out of his element, the glass ‘ice’ panel, and Glenn Healy in any form.
  • The advertisements for Kim’s Convenience make it seem like a caricature of Asian people.
  • Alright, enough about the pomp and show. Lets get to the game.
  • One last note: I hate anthems at sporting events, but crowd anthems are still dope./
First Period
  • [19:51] The Leafs start with the Bozak line, and get a decent shot from Marner within 10 seconds.
  • [19:01] The Habs get some good pressure on the second shift of the game, but Andersen makes a few routine saves.
  • [18:11] Hyman and Nylander do some nice puck protection in the offensive zone, but it doesn’t amount to much. Still, a positive start for that line. They’re young, but the Leafs already rely on them to carry a large offensive load.
  • [16:35] Is it just me, or is the camera farther away than normal?
  • [16:08] Uneventful opening 4 minutes.
  • [15:42] Marincin made a ridiculous breakout pass on his backhand that went straight to Seth Griffith, and led to 4th line offensive pressure for the Leafs. I’m telling y’all, he’s good.
  • [14:50] A failed zone exit from Brown leads to a chance for Artturi Lehkonen in front of the net. Andersen thankfully saves it. Lehkonen is a hell of a player, by the way. It annoys me how much skill the Habs have.
  • [13:34] Connor Carrick hasn’t had a great start. Puck has hopped over his stick a couple times and its led to some minor issues.
  • [12:41] A 3 on 2 for the Matthews line results in a shot from the slot from Hyman off a cross-ice feed from Nylander. Bar and out, but Jeff Petry picks up a penalty on the play, so the Leafs will go to the PP. Really good chance for Hyman. If it’s either of his two linemates takin that shot, it’s probably 1-0 Leafs.
  • [12:03] The Leafs have seemed to veer away from the 4F-1D PP setup, at least for the 2nd PP group. Both Zaitsev and Carrick are on that unit.
  • [10:53] Nylander displays some great patience on the PP to slide past a diving Andrei Markov and deliver a cross-crease pass to Kadri’s stick. Kadri couldn’t pull the trigger and it remains 0-0.
  • [9:37] After the PP, the 4th line gets put out, with Hyman in place of Griffith. The Habs take advantage with their first line, (at least, that’s the line I consider to be their first line) and get a couple excellent scoring chances off of it. Andersen stands tall early.
  • [9:15] Zaitsev is so smart about jumping up into the play as the Leafs transition to the neutral zone. He loves touching the puck.
  • [8:31] Marner with some nifty moves to create some space in the offensive zone, leading to a shot for JVR that gets deflected wide.
  • [8:01] The game opens up a little bit, as the Bozak and Galchenyuk lines trade chances.
  • [6:55] Another strong shift from the Matthews line. Nylander looks electric, in particular.
  • [6:30] The Habs have a very fast and skilled set of forwards, but if you force their defensemen to do the heavy lifting in terms of transitioning the puck, they look way less impressive.
  • [5:35] Weird play, as a slap shot from Jeff Petry somehow leaks through Andersen and into the crease. Andersen and Zaitsev both try and sweep it away, and it nearly ends up in the net. Fortunate break for the Leafs.
  • [5:01] The Habs are getting the Pacioretty line matched up against Ben Smith’s group. If that continues, they’ll generate some chances.
  • [4:22] Auston Matthews draws another penalty, as Emelin can’t keep up with his speed. Hyman throws the puck to the net with Matthews crashing, and Emelin hooks him to prevent the chance. Meanwhile, the crossbar nearly decapitates our favourite Arizonan.  Fortunately, no one is hurt, and the Leafs get a PP. Another strong shift for the Matthews line.
  • [3:48] Price is absurd.
  • [2:20] Not a lot of great chances for the Leafs on this PP. Habs doing a good job keeping them to the outside and clearing the puck successfully when they get the chance.
  • [1:18] I’m constantly terrified by the Radulov - Galchenyuk - Gallagher line.
  • [0:38] The Canadiens are getting some decent chances as the period draws to a close.
  • [0:00] No further incident in the period, and it ends 0-0. Toronto probably had the slight advantage, aided by the two power plays. But they have Price, and until you get a goal behind him, you haven’t done anything. /
Second Period
  • [19:30] Pateryn with a nice (clean) hit on Kadri to force him off the puck.
  • [18:59] Andrew Shaw gets tangled up with Marincin, and is worse for wear afterwards. Never want to cheer for injuries, but I’m not exactly in tears here either.
  • [18:21] Nylander is a man possesed.
  • [17:54] Zach Hyman is so noticeable on this line and not in a good way, because he’s far less skilled than either of his two linemates. It’s unfortunate for him, because he does a lot of little things well, but his lack of top-tier offensive skills and instincts is incredibly obvious when juxtaposed with Matthews and Nylander.
  • [17:45] He also just took a penalty, so that doesn’t help.
  • [16:59] The Habs are generating some really nice looks on this power play. Everything is centring around Weber’s howitzer. The Leafs know that, and it’s an interesting game of cat and mouse as Toronto tries to take it away, and Montreal tries to set it up.
  • [15:49] Mad scrambles in front, but the puck magically stays out.
  • [15:21] Another great pass from Nylander leads to a zone entry and shot from the slot via Jake Gardiner. It gets blocked, but it’s another positive shift for what is becoming the Leafs best line.
  • [14:51] Not to be outdone, Bozak’s line generates a nice chance of their own. Bozak with a shockingly creative cross-ice pass between a couple Habs leads to a Marner shot that Price parries.
  • [13:49] Habs goal! No chance for Andersen, as a track meet play sees Rielly victimized after trying to prevent the puck going by him at his own blue line. Radulov has acres of space to walk in on Andersen, and deftly passes off to Galchenyuk, who isn’t going to miss an open net. 1-0 Montreal. Really nice play by the Habs there.
  • [13:49] Rielly will take (deserved) heat for his failed read, but Matthews showed his inexperience by failing to pick up the trailer on the play as well.
  • [12:06] Matt Martin justifies his paycheque by throwing a big hit. Looks like he got the elbow up, so it could have been called a penalty.
  • [11:55] Strong showing from the Habs first line against the Leafs fourth. As I said, if they keep getting that matchup, it won’t end well for Toronto. A scrum after this shift results in some 4 on 4.
  • [10:54] Poor choice from Kadri to shoot into the shin pads of a pair of Habs which leads to a 3 on 2 against. No major chance against for the Leafs, but it was definitely a little scary. Against Price, a potential two goal deficit is terrifying.
  • [9:33] Nylander with another spectacular play, stripping a Habs player, leading to a breakaway, where he’s stopped. I can’t express enough how frustrating Price is.
  • [8:05] Marner and Nylander have been causing havoc for the Habs defenders. They can’t handle their speed and elusiveness.
  • [7:15] The Leafs really pouring on the pressure now. But Price just isn’t letting anything get by him.
  • [6:38] If the NHL was a video game, Price would be nerfed in the next patch.
  • [6:15] Montreal’s fourth line is having a really tough time getting the puck anywhere against Kadri’s unit.
  • [4:49] I’ve mostly been talking about the Leafs, but Radulov has been incredible as well. His line has looked consistently dangerous, which is more than can be said for the other Canadiens.
  • [2:48] There’s some sense of desperation from the Leafs during this game. They’re throwing everything they can at Price.
  • [2:03] Pacioretty and his line stem the tide a bit for the Habs, generating some great chances against a tired Kadri unit.
  • [1:23] Montreal’s defenders are just not at all good with the puck.
  • [0:52] Part of the reason the Matthews line has been so good is because they’ve largely played in front of Jake Gardiner. That also means they’re playing in front of Roman Polak, but having someone like Jake behind them really helps.
  • [0:42] Speaking of Polak, he takes his scheduled stupid penalty, boarding Andrew Shaw. No justification there. That was a bad hit.
  • [0:00] Nothing happens during the power play, and the Leafs end the period only down 1. This was kind of a frustrating period for the Leafs. For large stretches they dominated play, only to see a single defensive miscue end up in the back of their net. So far, Price has been totally indomitable. /
Third Period
  • [19:30] Montreal still has a little less than a minute worth of power play, and after that, the Leafs need to figure out how to beat the brick wall that is Carey Price. I mentioned in the preamble that the Habs (thus far) weren’t being carried by Price to the same degree as in previous years, but that hasn’t been the case at all tonight.
  • [18:35] The Leafs manage to kill off the penalty. No real danger during it.
  • [18:05] Not to jinx it, but Andersen has been good tonight. The Galchenyuk goal was entirely not on him. He’s giving them a shot.
  • [16:30] Zach Hyman is where offensive plays go to die.
  • [16:02] A shift where Toronto’s fourth line is matched up against Montreal’s first surprisingly ends in a penalty taken by Montreal. Radulov goes to the box, and the Leafs have a shot to tie it.
  • [15:42] And they do! Nylander has been the best skater on either side, and he fires a pass at Kadri in the high slot, who tips it by a screened Price. 1-1 tie. That’s a big, big goal.
  • [15:17] It’s gotta feel good for Kadri too, seeing as he’s had a tough go of generating offense at even strength. Meanwhile, Artturi Lehkonen gets a point-blank chance in front, where he’s stymied by Freddie.
  • [14:38] The Leafs are energized by that goal, and JVR with some textbook net presence creates a scramble. Price recovers well and keeps it tied.
  • [14:32] Looks like Griffith has been promoted to Kadri’s line, with Brown getting sent to the Martin-Smith purgatory.
  • [14:10] I’ve liked the look of Griffith, by the way. Kadri and MItchell take offsetting penalties, leading to 4 on 4. Both teams should be strong 4v4 teams, with the speed of their forward groups.
  • [13:24] My goodness! Nylander sets up a Connor Carrick BOMB from the point, and Price stops it like it’s no big deal. Ridiculous save.
  • [13:07] Pacioretty strides by Carrick during the 4 on 4, forcing the latter to take a penalty. This will be a tough kill.
  • [12:55] Andersen matches Price’s great glove save with one of his own off of Weber.
  • [12:52] The entire Habs PP is based Weber’s one timer.
  • [12:36] And that’s the reason why. He decimates a puck and rings it off the post and in. 2-1 Habs. Disgustingly hard shot.
  • [11:02] Emelin takes a penalty by shoving Brown into the boards. Emelin seems like the type of player who gets dummied and takes penalties a lot. He’s made a few dangerous hits in this game alone just by being slow. Not really a fan. Anyways, the Leafs have a bit of a lifeline now. Lets see if they take it.
  • [10:04] The Leafs power play is humming, but they just can’t get the finishing touch.
  • [9:09] Some inspired defending by the Habs stonewalls the Leafs second power play unit, and they manage to kill it off.
  • [7:31] Max Pacioretty is sprung for a breakaway, and realistically, a chance to effectively end the game. Andersen comes up huge against the American sniper. Huge save.
  • [6:41] I’d really like to see Jake with someone not named Polak. Actually, I’d like to see our roster without Polak.
  • [5:34] On cue, Polak gets left in the dust by Phillip Danault. Andersen with another solid save.
  • [5:02] As the commentary has pointed out, Matthews’ line has been basically hard matched by Montreal to go against the Plekanec line and Weber defence pairing. And they’ve still largely dominated.
  • [3:26] Zach Hyman is where offensive plays go to die. Yes, I know I said that already.
  • [2:12] Danault looks like a solid depth player. He’s impressed me with his speed and directness.
  • [1:43] Leafs get the extra attacker on relatively early, which is smart. The Habs nearly get a 200 foot empty net goal, but the Leafs catch a break, and its icing instead.
  • [0:52] Toronto is just throwing whatever they can at the net, and sending three guys to crash and hope for a rebound.
  • [0:00] No dice. They get chances, but the Habs stand tall and get the win.
  • Disappointing game in some respects. The Leafs played well, carried play in stretches, and come up empty handed. That’s hockey sometimes. There’s no obvious scapegoat like in previous games. Sometimes you just got to tip your cap to the other team. The Habs were opportunistic enough, and their best player played like their best player. Only so much you can do./