Canadiens build early lead, hand Maple Leafs 8th loss in row

MONTREAL -- The Montreal Canadiens scored twice in the first period and held on for a 3-1 victory to hand the Toronto Maple Leafs their eighth straight loss at Bell Centre on Tuesday.

Oliver Kapanen, Phillip Danault and Jake Evans scored, and Jakub Dobes made 17 saves for Montreal (35-18-10), which is 7-1-3 in its past 11 games.

“I feel like that was our most complete game,” Evans said. “It felt like the third period, we were in control for most of it and we just didn’t get that third, or I guess maybe even fourth goal, to take them out of it. They fought hard to battle back, but I’m just happy with how complete that game was.”

William Nylander scored and Joseph Woll made 30 saves for Toronto (27-27-11), which is on a 0-6-2 skid.

“It’s a lot of losses in a row now,” Nylander said. “I think parts of all the games we’ve been playing, we’ve been playing snippets of good hockey, and that’s not how we want to play. We want to play a full game of good hockey.”

The Maple Leafs, who have not missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2015-16, are at .500 for the first time since they were 15-15-5 following a 5-1 loss at the Dallas Stars on Dec. 21.

The Canadiens outshot Toronto 33-18, including 18-5 while taking a 2-0 lead in the first period.

“They definitely had the play in the first for sure, had the puck,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said. “You know, we didn’t check it off them, and then when we did, we didn’t do anything with the puck. We couldn’t get up the ice as a five-man unit and create anything.”

Kapanen put Montreal up 1-0 at 4:46. After helping Ivan Demidov win a puck battle in the left corner, he went to the left of the net to take a pass from Alex Newhook before spinning to his right and putting a snap shot between Woll’s pads.

“Everyone was in his spot, so we just tried to find each other and help each other out,” Demidov said.

Danault made it 2-0 at 14:41. He beat Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly to a puck in front of the net and scored five-hole on Woll after Kaiden Guhle’s dump-in along the left boards took an odd bounce out of the left corner.

“I feel like it happens to us a lot in that corner, normally when our goalie’s there,” Danault said. “So tonight was our chance.”

Nylander cut it to 2-1 at 14:33 of the second period. He drove to the net and put a return pass from Easton Cowan into a wide open left side of the net.

“It was a very nice give-and-go,” Nylander said. “He got open and I thought he was going to shoot it, but he gave it back to me with a wide open net and I thought I was going to miss it, but I was able to put it in.”

Evans outraced Cowan to get to a loose puck in the Maple Leafs’ zone before shooting it into an empty net with 28 seconds remaining for the 3-1 final.

“We gave up a couple of chances in the second, but Dobes was solid, which is what we need at this point,” Danault said. “It gave us confidence and we just kept doing our thing.”

NOTES: Maple Leafs forward Benoit-Olivier Groulx had two shots on goal in 14:13 and had six of Toronto’s 23 hits in his first NHL game since April 12, 2024 for the Anaheim Ducks after being recalled from Toronto of the AHL. … Kapanen is the sixth Canadiens rookie to score 20 goals in a season over the past 30 years. Michael Ryder scored 25 in 2003-04, Cole Caufield (2021-22) and Chris Higgins (2005-06) each had 23 goals in their rookie seasons, and Valeri Bure (22 goals) and Saku Koivu (20) both accomplished the feat in 1995-96.