Toronto Maple Leafs: Observations from 4-3 OT win over Montreal

Auston Matthews was the hero again as the Toronto Maple Leafs took two points from the rival Montreal Canadiens on the road.

The Toronto Maple Leafs had one goal in mind heading into Montreal on Saturday night; win. The Buds were coming off 14 consecutive losses at the hands of the Canadiens.

Mike Babcock and co. managed to weather the storm that Montreal threw at them throughout the game and took two points from their rivals on the back of two goals from Auston Matthews.

Let’s look at some of the big stories from this game.

Hats off to the Habs

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The Leafs and Habs have a disdain for each other that is rivalled by no one. I know its hard for many Leafs to see any good in Montreal but give them credit for a game well played.

Coming into this game, Montreal had only scored four goals in as many contests. They were due for a good game on the offensive side of the ice and they got off to a good start against the Leafs with a goal from Jeff Petry just 2:19 into the game.

A pair of Canadiens had their best performances of the season to date. Alex Galchenyuk scored the second Habs goal in the first period. He was followed by Jonathan Drouin, who tipped in a Karl Alzner point shot to pot his first goal as a member of the Habs. Drouin finished with a goal and an assist on the night and now leads the Canadiens in points with three points in five games.

Someone who really stood out for all the right reasons was Victor Mete. The rookie defender looked very good alongside Shea Weber on the Canadiens first pair tonight.

They kept the Matthews-Nylander line in check when they were on the ice. However, that line did score twice, but Weber and Mete weren’t out there on either occasion.

Mete showed why he stuck around with the Canadiens through camp. His offensive ability and speed make him a good option to play against top players. On multiple plays, Mete would be behind a step but would recover with a few strides. He also had a very active stick and kept the Leafs forwards to the outside.

This is a long observation, especially about someone other than the Leafs. But if the Habs play the way they did tonight going forward, the results will come. They made the game very entertaining and gave the Leafs everything they had. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season series.