National Hockey League
Montreal 3, Toronto 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 25, 2017
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Referees: Kendrick Nicholson, Dan O'Halloran
Linesmen: David Brisebois, Ryan Daisy
Attendance: 19843

TORONTO --The Montreal Canadiens have the Toronto Maple Leafs' number and it's 14.

Andrew Shaw put a backhand behind Toronto goaltender Frederik Andersen at 1:06 of overtime Saturday night to give Montreal a 3-2 victory for their 14th straight win over Toronto and fourth this season.

"I liked our team game, I think it was a great effort," Canadiens coach Claude Julien said. "You had two teams here that had a lot at stake and I thought we handled it well. They gave us everything we could handle but we also pushed back."

Shaw caught up to a pass by Tomas Plekanec that put him in the clear and moved to his backhand to score his ninth goal of the season.

"I thought I had a better play than I had," Andersen said. "I thought it was going to get to me quicker than it did. He was on it first."

Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk also scored for Montreal (33-21-8). Galchenyuk and Shaw added assists.

Auston Matthews scored twice for Toronto (28-20-13).

Carey Price made 32 saves in goal for Montreal and Andersen stopped 25 shots in the Toronto net.

Price made some big saves to keep Montreal in the game in the second period.

"That's the Carey Price we got used to seeing," Julien said. "It's nice to see him playing that way again. He's given us a chance to win the game and he's given us confidence. We know if there is a breakdown, he's making the save."

The Maple Leafs tied the game at 1:19 of the third period when Matthews deflected a shot by Zach Hyman for his 30th goal of the season.

Montreal outshot Toronto 10-8 in the third period and had some excellent chances but could not prevent the extra period.

Matthews had a breakaway 56 seconds into the overtime, but his shot hit the top of Price's stick.

"I saw the open corner and he just got a stick on it," Matthews said. "It's a tough bounce. ...I saw the opening, I shot it there and he just got a knob on it. ...(Price) is just always in good position, you never really see him panic or anything. He moves well, He guesses really well or reads the play really well. He's obviously a tough guy to get the puck by."

"I thought we played real good tonight," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. "I thought Price made some real good saves on the one power play. I thought our goalie was good, too. I thought we put a lot of pressure on Montreal at times. A tough mistake there at the end but those are part of life. I thought our guys battled hard, I thought they did a good job. ... All in all, it would have been really nice to get the extra point, especially at home, but we didn't."

"When every line is going, it's hard to beat us," Galchenyuk said. "Especially when Price makes those saves, he got the team going. I thought overall our team played well, played good structurally. ...It was a back-and-forth game."

Matthews scored his first goal at 10:54 of the first period on a bouncing shot from the right wing that eluded Price with Toronto left winger James van Riemsdyk hovering in front of the goal. It was the fourth consecutive game in which Toronto scored first.

Montreal came close with 56 seconds left in the first when a puck squirted between Andersen's legs and hit the post.

Pacioretty tied the score at 7:29 of the second period on a blast from the right circle for his 29th goal of the season on a power play. Toronto's Nikita Soshnikov was serving a holding penalty.

Montreal took the lead at 16:21 of the second when Galchenyuk scored his 13th goal of the season, converting a pass in front of the net from Nikita Nesterov.

"It's a good team win, we played the right way," Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber said.

"Did I want to win tonight?" Babcock asked. "Yes. Are we going to beat Montreal? Yes."

NOTES: Toronto C Mitch Marner (right shoulder) skated with the team Saturday morning but missed his fifth straight game Saturday. Even though he looked good during the skate, he remains on injured reserve. ... Toronto C Tyler Bozak (infection in cut hand) did not skate Saturday morning, was a game-time decision and did not play. RW Ben Smith took his spot. Bozak is expected to be ready for the next contest. ... Toronto D Connor Carrick (upper body) missed his second consecutive game Saturday and is listed as day-to-day. ... Montreal C David Desharnais returned to the lineup Saturday after not being used for six consecutive contests. ... The Canadiens play their next game Monday when they visit the New Jersey Devils. ... The Maple Leafs visit the San Jose Sharks for their next contest Tuesday.
Top Game Performances
 
Montreal   Toronto
Alex Galchenyuk 2 Points Auston Matthews 2
Alex Galchenyuk 1 Goals Auston Matthews 2
Alex Galchenyuk 1 Assists Jake Gardiner 1
Max Pacioretty 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Carey Price .941 Save Percentage Frederik Andersen .893
Carey Price 32 Saves Frederik Andersen 25
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Montreal 28 3 1-4 2-2 4 30
Toronto 34 2 0-2 3-4 8 26
Upcoming Games
  • Toronto will play their next game on the road against San Jose. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .429 after a win and .485 after a loss.
  • Montreal will play their next game on the road against New Jersey. The Canadiens have a W/L % of .485 after a win and .586 after a loss.