Alex Newhook scored twice in the opening period as the Montreal Canadiens secured a 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night in Toronto. Newhook’s early impact helped Montreal take control before Jacob Fowler’s 26 saves kept the home side at bay.
The Canadiens struck first at 5:56 of the first when Newhook’s pass in front of Maple Leafs goalie Sergei Bobrovsky ricocheted into the net following a giveaway by Toronto’s Gavin McKenna. Newhook then doubled the lead with a tip-in off Kaiden Guhle’s point shot with just under seven minutes remaining in the opening frame.
Montreal extended their lead to 3-0 in the second period. Chris Kreider intercepted a pass from McKenna at the Canadiens’ blue line and converted a breakaway past Bobrovsky’s blocker with 7:03 left. Following this play, McKenna was benched for the remainder of the period.
Toronto fought back in the third period with goals from William Nylander and McKenna. Nylander opened the scoring for the Maple Leafs at 6:19 with a power-play one-timer. McKenna followed up 55 seconds later by putting away a loose puck, cutting Montreal’s lead to 3-2.
However, Zachary Bolduc responded for the Canadiens on a man advantage to restore a two-goal cushion with 7:45 remaining. Fowler’s steady goaltending ensured Toronto could not close the gap further, finishing with 26 saves on 28 shots.
The victory improved Montreal’s record to 11-3-3 and marked their seventh win in the last eight games. Toronto dropped to 8-8-2, suffering their second consecutive defeat and their fourth loss in five regulation games.
The Canadiens will host Minnesota on Tuesday, while the Maple Leafs are set to welcome New Jersey on Sunday.
According to Yahoo Sports.