It’s sad to say considering they’re an Original Six franchise, but the once mighty Toronto Maple Leafs have become the free space on the bingo card.
The Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967 and it seems their window, which appeared so promising the last few seasons, is closing. Fast.
Granted, Toronto is missing captain Auston Matthews — some might consider that addition by subtraction — Matthew Knies, defencemen Chris Tanev and Brandon Carlo, along with first-string goaltender Anthony Stolarz, all of whom are injured, but the Canadiens are without Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook, Kirby Dach and Kaiden Guhle.
The Canadiens ended a five-game (0-4-1) losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Leafs on Saturday night at the Bell Centre — and it all looked so remarkably easy. The visitors (9-10-3) are now below .500, could be in danger of missing the playoffs if they don’t turn this malaise around quickly, and have a 1-6-0 road record, which just happens to be where their next five games will be played.
We don’t believe head coach Craig Berube, in his second season behind Toronto’s bench, is in any immediate danger. But if general manager Brad Treliving ever wants to pull the trigger, he has a replacement-in-waiting in assistant Derek Lalonde, who coached Detroit for two and a half seasons. Stranger things have happened in the centre of the universe.
News you need (Part I): This marked the 265th time these two storied franchises have met on a Saturday night. For those keeping count, Toronto leads 134-96-35.
Timing is everything: Forward Florian Xhekaj, making his NHL debut for the Canadiens, had his rookie lap during the pre-game warmup. But within seconds of him hitting the ice, the Leafs emerged from their dressing room, bringing a cascade of braying. Hopefully, he figured it out.
As inevitable as death and taxes: We’re surprised it took this long, but more than 14 minutes into the third period, Xhekaj fought Toronto defenceman Dakota Mermis, who did his best impression of a human pinata. Xhekaj’s teammates, to a man, skated to the penalty box and fist-pumped him following the fight.
Xhekaj, 21, played a modest 9:48, had an assist, was plus-1, produced two shots, blocked one and had three hits. It appears he’s in Montreal for an extended period.
“That was awesome,” he said. “It was an unbelievable first game. I don’t think I could ask for a better first one. They (his teammates) were pretty fired up. I was fired up. It’s good to see that they liked it. It kind of fired up our bench; fired up our crowd. I had so much adrenaline.”
Sieve of the night: Goalie Joseph Woll, making his fifth consecutive appearance, was removed at 13:11 of the second period after allowing four goals on 25 shots (.840 save percentage).
Did he even require a shower?: Woll was replaced by Dennis Hildeby, who only faced three shots the remainder of the game. Hey, it’s a living.
That’s how you begin an NHL career: In the game’s second minute, Xhekaj administered a hit on Troy Stecher.
The other Xhekaj: Sammy Blais, claimed on waivers by Toronto from the Canadiens on Oct. 6, was knocked down by defenceman Arber Xhekaj in the game’s sixth minute. Blais wasn’t in Montreal long enough to upset anyone, we’re guessing.
Pass of the night: Nick Suzuki cross-ice to Lane Hutson on the Canadiens’ opening goal.
He didn’t get an assist, but ..: Brendan Gallagher, who else, was in the crease creating havoc on the goal.
Our two cents: We’re surprised Berube didn’t challenge the goal, considering Gallagher knocked down Woll.
Dumb penalty: William Nylander tripped Gallagher off a faceoff in the first period.
I can’t feel my arm any longer: Referee Chris Lee had his limb raised for 1:21 before he was able to send Jake McCabe to the penalty box with a hooking minor in the second period. And it was only after Woll’s mask was knocked off the play was whistled dead.
News you need (Part II): The Leafs had two shots through 14:13 of the second period. Almost 16 minutes were played before they registered a third.
Game of inches: In the fifth minute of the third period, a Nylander deflection hit the post with Toronto trailing 4-1.
They must have thought the game was over: The Canadiens didn’t get a shot in the third period until 11:07.
News you need (Part III): The teams combined for 70 penalty minutes — evenly divided. It ended with 10-minute misconducts being assessed against Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, Steven Lorentz and Dakota Joshua. The teams play again on Dec. 6, in Toronto. It should be interesting.
Next time, decline the penalty: The Canadiens went 0-for-3 on the power play.
Quick stats: Josh Anderson, who scored twice — one into an empty-net — had five hits, one more than Arber Xhekaj. Cole Caufield had four shots. Alexandre Carrier blocked three shots. Jakub Dobes’s save percentage was .923. The Canadiens won 47.1 per cent of their faceoffs, but enjoyed a 25-20 advantage in hits.
They said it: “I thought every line was going tonight,” Anderson said. “It was a real important one for us to start the right way and, obviously, play a full 60. I think we needed to play with a chip on our shoulder to be honest. Just the way things have been going.
“He (Florian Xhekaj) was on the hunt early,” Anderson added. “He tried to finish as many checks as he could. I enjoyed the moment, playing with him in his first NHL game. There was a lot of hype around it; Saturday night against the Leafs. As your first NHL game you can’t write it any better.”
“I thought he did exactly what he needed to do,” Arber Xhekaj said about his baby brother. “He was chipping pucks in, hammering guys and brought some energy.”
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