Noah Dobson’s two-goal performance propelled the reeling Montréal Canadiens past a depleted Maple Leafs squad 5-2 Saturday night at the Bell Centre.
With both Atlantic Division foes slumping coming into the game, the desperation and frustration were on full display early, as both teams ramped up the nastiness and chippiness throughout the first period.
When the extracurriculars quieted down, it was the Habs who turned their attention toward scoring. Montreal took the lead at the 12:11 mark. Cole Caufield had all the time in the world to walk in and find Nick Suzuki hovering at the goal line. Suzuki then fired a back-door pass cross-ice that Lane Houston buried into the Toronto net, beating Joseph Woll.
Just over a minute later, another Canadiens’ blue liner put his name on the score sheet. Noah Dobson took a pass outside the circle from his defence partner, Mike Matheson, and wired the puck past Woll to make it 2-0.
Montreal continued their dominant play in the second, and 4:09 into the period, Dobson scored his second of the game, this time ripping home an Ivan Demidov feed for the 3-0 lead.
Josh Anderson tacked on another goal at the 13:11 mark. An uncovered Anderson took a pass behind the net, skated out front, and zipped one by Woll’s shoulder. The Habs’ fourth goal ended Woll’s night as he was pulled for replacement Dennis Hildeby.
Whether it was the goalie change or the Habs playing comfortably with their 4-0 lead, the momentum did shift to the Leafs’ side for a bit. Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored his third goal of the year with just under three minutes left in the second to put Toronto on the board and make it 4-1.
The Leafs drew closer in the third. William Nylander scored his tenth of the season on the power play at 14:55. The winger skated inside the circle and wristed a shot that beat Montreal goaltender Jakub Dobes blocker side to narrow the margin to 4-2
But Toronto could not get any closer. Anderson added his second of the game into an empty net to make the final 5 to 2.
Next up: The Maple Leafs travel to Columbus Wednesday night to take on the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
