Rem Pitlick the hero as Canadiens high Maple Leafs in OT

The Montreal Canadiens battled their approach to a 3-2 time beyond regulation win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on the Bell Centre on Saturday evening.

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 coming 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 targets 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 on aim for the win.

Anderson LOVES scoring in opposition to the Leafs

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

The snipe marks Anderson’s fiftieth aim as a Canadien, and his eighth in opposition to the Maple Leafs since he was traded to Montreal in October 2020. One in every of 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 remainder of the 2022-23 season after struggling a shoulder damage.

Matthews aim streak involves an finish

Auston Matthews entered Saturday’s contest on a four-game aim streak, having notched 5 targets in that span. The Canadiens managed to maintain the Leafs celebrity off the scoresheet, limiting him to just one help and a -1 ranking in 19:51 of ice time on the evening.

Matthews solely directed three photographs on aim, with Montembeault extending his proper pad to cease a juicy rebound and deny Toronto’s high goalscorer within the second interval.

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

Montembeault standing sturdy in internet

Samuel Montembeault entered the season because the clear backup to veteran netminder Jake Allen. However because the latter’s damage 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 proportion and a 2.40 targets in opposition to common, with a five-goal stinker in opposition to the Florida Panthers the one unhealthy efficiency in that span.

The 2015 third spherical choose stood on his head as soon as extra in opposition to the Leafs, making 36 stops and robbing Toronto’s stars at level clean vary on quite a few 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 rely him of their long-term plans as they search for some stability within the crease with Carey Price unlikely to ever return to play.

“We wish to maintain him, he is doing very well these days and he is nonetheless a younger goaltender within the NHL,” common supervisor Kent Hughes stated on Wednesday. “It is robust to assume that we will 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 present bursting on the seams, with as many as 10 gamers at present 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 choice has paid off up to now.

Gamers who’ve hung out within the minors this season mixed for 5 factors between them on Saturday, with current call-up Pitlick notching the profitable aim in time beyond regulation. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard — one of many Rocket’s main scorers with 25 factors in 37 video games — scored his first NHL aim 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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