Toronto Maple Leafs @ Puke City ToiletGators Montreal Canadiens

Bell Centre; Le Puke City Montreal, QC

7:00 p.m.; CBC (National)

SBN Tabernacs: Habs Eye on the Prize

The Leafs

In case you missed the game against the Florida Panthers, something crazy happened. The Leafs took a lead into the second period, and- wait for it- they held on for a win. I know, I know; it's been painful to watch lately. The Leafs have been closing games out with the success rate of you or I in our college days (with about the same amount of sloppiness). The Leafs didn't look all that much better in the 3rd against Florida, but there were no catastrophic errors (which is where most of the goals against came from) and Frederik Andersen made the saves that he needed to. One iffy goal aside, Andersen was brilliant, posting a .935 SV% on the night.

I haven't even begun to talk about Mitch Marner yet. The kid had three assists, and made plays that essentially were the driving force of every goal. You may best remember James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak for their previous work as the zany sidekicks to hot dog connoisseur Phil Kessel. Well, they're back, baby! And they've got a child prodigy and much more defensively sheltered assignments! It's like a sitcom that recasts its main character after the original left the show, except.....y'know, good.

There is no indication as to whether the Leafs will tinker with their lineup from Thursday. If that is the case, Seth Griffith will play his second game at Peter Holland's expense. Matt Hunwick will also remain doubtful due to a lower-body injury (i.e.having legs made of cement). Babcock has been "ride or die" with Frederik Andersen, so I can't see him stopping after Andersen's performance against Florida.

The Habs

Well, we might as well start here for required reading. The Habs are a renowned franchise with so much storied history that any one of their fans will not hesitate to yell at you in both official languages should you wind up behind them in line at Starbucks or something. That's about the nicest thing I can say about them, so I'll stop there as this is a Family Website.

In case you haven't heard (in which case, I assume you live atop Mt. Kilimanjaro or somewhere else with no Habs fans within 100 km; lucky you), the Habs are off to a decent start. They're 7-0-1, the only remaining team yet to lose a game in regulation. Goaltending is, as expected, the major reason. Montreal finally has a healthy Carey Price, and he's 4-0-0 with a .947 SV%. They've also had the solid relief efforts they sorely missed last season, with offseason pickup Al Montoya putting up a .955 SV%. While most of the teams they've beaten aren't exactly much to write home about, they managed a 3-1 win against the same Bolts team that torched the Leafs earlier this week.

You could probably argue that goaltending and defense have been the major difference between the two teams this year. The Habs boast a potent offense (3.63 GF/G, 3rd in the NHL), as do the Leafs (3.43, 5th). Both teams have fared well with puck possession: the Leafs are 5th in the NHL with 54.7% score-adjusted Corsi, while the Habs are 10th at 52.5%. The Habs, however, boast 1.50 GA/G, which is by far the NHL's best. The Leafs? 3.86 GA/G, good for 28th in the league.

Montreal's leading scorer is defenseman Shea Weber, who you may have heard was traded to Montreal this offseason. Weber has 3 goals and 9 points in 8 games. Their top scoring forwards are Brendan Gallagher and Max Pacioretty, each with 7 points. You can find these players, and other Montreal Canadiens, by looking at the NHL.com scoring stats and scrolling past Auston Matthews and William Nylander.

Game Prediction

Matthews is gonna spin the puck on his stick while whistling the Harlem Globetrotters theme, and deke Carey Price so hard that Price retires on the spot and moves to a cabin on the Himalayas. Marner activates the Super Mario invisibility star just in time to deflect a Shea Weber point shot right back at him. Shea Weber then spontaneously combusts. Alex Radulov oversleeps after staying out until 3 AM eating poutine off a stripper (okay; this one is actually believable).

Fine; I guess I'll be serious.

Matthews pots two, Nylander chips in one as well. Montreal's PP is lethal, Toronto's defense is shaky, but Andersen once again answers the call. Leafs win it 4-3.