Key Takeaways
- Alex Newhook scored twice in the first period and Chris Kreider made it 3–0 before Toronto rallied with two goals in 55 seconds.
- Zachary Bolduc's power-play goal restored Montreal's two-goal cushion in a 4–2 win.
- Rookie goalie Jacob Fowler made 26 saves; Montreal's point streak is 10 games (8-0-2) and the Canadiens have won five straight against Toronto.
Toronto Scored Twice in 55 Seconds. Montreal Still Walked Away With the Win.
Montreal had a 3–0 cushion. Then Toronto scored twice in just 55 seconds, and suddenly a comfortable Canadiens victory looked anything but comfortable.
But the Maple Leafs couldn't finish the comeback.
Montreal beat Toronto 4–2 at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night, extending its point streak to 10 games (8-0-2) and its winning run against Toronto to five straight.
Alex Newhook set the tone early, scoring twice in the first period. His first goal pinballed into the net off two skates. His second came when he deflected a Kaiden Guhle point shot past Sergei Bobrovsky.
Chris Kreider made it 3–0 with a second-period breakaway. Toronto finally responded in the third.
William Nylander scored on the power play, tying John Tavares for fifth on the Leafs' all-time power-play goals list with 85. Then, just 55 seconds later, 18-year-old Gavin McKenna chipped in another goal.
Suddenly, it was 3–2.
One Goal Ended Toronto's Comeback Hopes
Montreal needed an answer, and Zachary Bolduc delivered.
At 12:15 of the third period, he fired a power-play one-timer past Bobrovsky to restore Montreal's two-goal cushion.
Behind him, 21-year-old rookie Jacob Fowler continued his remarkable run. He stopped 26 shots to improve to 8-1-1 this season, including 8-0-1 in his past nine games — the longest such run by a rookie goalie his age since Braden Holtby in 2010-11.
Bobrovsky stopped 24 shots for Toronto.
The Maple Leafs also lost Morgan Rielly, who left in the second period with a lower-body injury.
Montreal improved to 11-3-3, while Toronto fell to 8-8-2, with losses in four of its past five games.
The Twikup Take
Toronto came within one goal of turning the night upside down. It took just 55 seconds to make Montreal nervous, but the Canadiens had the final answer.
And Fowler is becoming the bigger story: a 21-year-old rookie delivering this kind of performance against a two-time Vezina winner is exactly how a goaltending controversy begins.
Image: Alex Newhook during warmup on 2024-09-28 by Maniacduhockey, CC0.