Achi news desk-
MONTREAL – Auston Matthews got closer to the rare milestone of 70 goals on Saturday night.
But the Toronto Maple Leafs offense executed by committee with goals from three different lines in a 4-2 win over the archrival Montreal Canadiens.
Matthews scored his league-leading 64th of the season for a Maple Leafs team that clinched a spot in the playoffs while idle on Friday.
Bobby McMann, Matthew Knies and Max Domi also scored in a four-goal second period for the Maple Leafs as Toronto (44-23-9) spread the wealth on offense. Not one player produced more than one point.
“He makes our team very deep and very hard to play against, hard to play against,” said Mitch Marner, who had one assist in his first game back from losing 12 with an ankle injury .
“We have a lot of guys who can jump into bigger roles. We’ve seen it all year and now we’re using it to our advantage.”
Ilya Samsonov made 24 saves, and Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves made his presence felt off the scoreboard.
With Toronto up 3-0, Reaves dropped the mitts with Michael Pezzetta in a spirited duel after the Montreal forward checked Toronto’s David Kampf into the boards.
The six-foot-two, 226-pound Reaves took hit after hit on the six-foot-one, 217-pound Pezzetta in front of the Canadiens bench before taunting the home team on a high-energy night at the Bell Centre.
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“I love watching him do what he does, he’s the best in the world at it for a reason,” Matthews said of Reaves.
“He’s just an animal. Honestly, it’s a beast. It’s moments like those where you really realize how important he is to the team.”
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Matthews hit the 100 point mark for the second time in his career and extended his point streak to 10 games.
The 26-year-old star is on course for 69 goals, one shy of a feat not achieved since Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny reached 76 in 1992-93.
“Austin’s not a guy who cares too much about his own points, his own milestones,” Marner said. “But what he has been doing this year has been special.”
Nick Suzuki – with a goal and an assist – and Cole Caufield scored for Montreal (29-35-12) in a second straight loss. Mike Matheson entered with two assists.
Sam Montembeault allowed four goals on 12 shots before getting the shutout midway through the second period. Cayden Primeau stopped all 18 shots he faced in relief.
“It wasn’t Monty’s fault, it was just bad bounces,” defenseman David Savard said. “We wanted to fight back and show what we can do, and I think there’s no giving up in this team.”
Canadiens defenders Kaiden Guhle and Arber Xhekaj missed the game with upper body injuries. Montreal recalled defenseman Justin Barron from American Hockey League affiliate Laval on an emergency basis.
After a scoreless first period, the floodgates opened in the second.
Domi opened the scoring 2:21 into the period by tipping in a point shot from Ilya Lyubushkin.
Matthews doubled the lead 17 seconds later with a center pass that deflected off Savard’s skate and into the net.
“He can shoot from everywhere, he’s dangerous from anywhere,” Savard said. “I’m not surprised by him.”
The goal drew an explosion from the Maple Leafs faithful who came out to the competition game in numbers, and jeers from the home fans.
“I guess it’s a sense of respect, especially in a building like this and a big-time hockey city and fan base,” Matthews said of the birds. “I don’t care.”
Knies made it 3-0 at 7:30, off the next faceoff Reaves had with Pezzetta.
“Anytime you fight, you hope you take some energy,” Reaves said.
When asked what Pezzetta told him after the lopsided title, Reaves responded: “Just a bunch of rubbish, to be honest with you.”
McMann added to Montreal’s misery with a goal at 7:54.
Suzuki got the Canadiens on the board with his team leading in the 33rd by finishing off a slick behind-the-back feed from Juraj Slafkovsky on the power play at 9:05.
And with 1:28 left in regulation, a feed from Matheson was buried in front of the net by Caufield to make it a two-goal game.
The Maple Leafs shut down the Canadiens offense in the third period. Montreal drew Primeau for an extra attacker with 2:15 remaining but could not create any scoring chances.
UP NEXT
Canadiens: Visit the New York Rangers on Sunday.
Maple Leafs: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on April 6, 2024.
& copy 2024 The Canadian Press
