Montembeault and Montreal call-ups shine in win

The Montreal Canadiens battled their method to a 3-2 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on the Bell Centre on Saturday night time.

Rem Pitlick scored the winner within the further body with a depraved wrist shot that beat Ilya Samsonov on the quick aspect.

Toronto got here roaring out to a 2-0 lead within the first interval, with targets from Mark Giordano and Calle Jarnkrok. The Habs got here out of the intermission with some hearth of their bellies, tying the sport within the second body with tallies from Josh Anderson and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard.

Canadiens goaltender Samuel Montembeault shut the door on the Maple Leafs down the stretch, turning away 36 of 38 photographs for the win.

Anderson LOVES scoring in opposition to the Leafs

Anderson recorded his 14th purpose of the season to get the Canadiens on the board with a candy one-timer off a feed from Nick Suzuki.

The snipe marks Anderson’s fiftieth purpose as a Canadien, and his eighth in opposition to the Maple Leafs since he was traded to Montreal in October 2020. One among his 5 profession playoff targets additionally got here in opposition to Toronto in 2021.

In 28 profession video games in opposition to Toronto, Anderson has notched 11 targets and 14 factors.

The 28-year-old loved a dominant efficiency on the Bell Centre, filling in on the highest line rather than Cole Caufield, who will miss the rest of the 2022-23 season after struggling a shoulder harm.

Matthews’ purpose streak involves an finish

Auston Matthews entered Saturday’s contest on a four-game purpose streak, having scored 5 instances in that span. The Canadiens managed to maintain the Leafs famous person off the scoresheet, limiting him to just one help and a minus-1 score in 19:51 of ice time.

Matthews solely directed three photographs on purpose, with Montembeault extending his proper pad to cease a juicy rebound within the second interval.

Matthews is tied with William Nylander for the staff lead in targets with 24.

Montembeault standing robust in internet

Montembeault entered the season because the clear backup to veteran netminder Jake Allen. However for the reason that latter’s harm in early January, Montembeault has carried the heavy load of backstopping the struggling Canadiens, and has largely excelled.

Within the 5 video games previous to Saturday’s contest, the 26-year-old averaged a .962 save share and a 2.40 goals-against common, with a five-goal stinker in opposition to the Florida Panthers the one unhealthy efficiency in that span.

The 2015 third-round choose stood on his head as soon as extra in opposition to the Leafs, making 36 stops and robbing Toronto’s stars at point-blank vary on a variety of events.

Whereas Montembeault is bound to garner some curiosity across the league as goaltending insurance coverage for a contender, the Canadiens’ entrance workplace appears to depend him of their long-term plans as they search for some stability within the crease with Carey Value unlikely to ever return to play.

“We wish to maintain him, he is doing very well recently and he is nonetheless a younger goaltender within the NHL,” normal supervisor Kent Hughes mentioned on Wednesday. “It is powerful to suppose we are able to predict Sam’s future with a small pattern dimension, however we clearly see he is obtained a sure potential.”

Canadiens call-ups making a distinction

The Canadiens’ infirmary is at the moment bursting on the seams, with as many as 10 gamers out injured. The unhealthy luck on the well being entrance has pressured the entrance workplace to name up some reinforcements from the AHL’s Laval Rocket, and the choices have paid off thus far.

Gamers who’ve frolicked within the minors this season mixed for 5 factors between them on Saturday, with current call-up Pitlick notching the profitable purpose in extra time. Harvey-Pinard — one of many Rocket’s main scorers with 25 factors in 37 video games — scored his first NHL purpose of the season to tie the sport at two, with fellow fill-ins Michael Pezzetta and Alex Belzile every registering a helper.

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