Like
its home opener against the Leafs, the Habs had a pitiful start to the
game Saturday night.
At
least, the first time it had been a close game until the end. This time, it
was a blowout, 6-0, which pleased all the Leafs fans who occupied the
building.
James
Reimer, Toronto's goalie, made 37 saves, earning the seventh shutout of his
career and his second against the Canadiens.
“Every
time a goalie gets a shutout, it is a matter of team work", pointed out
the Leafs' masked man. "This evening [Saturday night], I saw 90% of the
shots easily.”
Michel
Therrien's gang has now lost five games out of seven against Division rivals,
of which one was a shootout. Not very good for the standings.
Speaking
about Saturday’s game Therrien said, “We got lots of shots, especially in
second period, but very few good scoring chances”.
Toronto
was Much Better
This
victory, the third straight for the Leafs, pushed the Leafs ahead on Montreal
in the Eastern Conference standings.
The
Habs can only be encouraged by knowing that they're not the only one to have
troubles when the Maple Leafs visit. The
Leafs have now won six of the seven matches they played on the road.
"If I knew
the recipe, I would use it everywhere. Our fans in Toronto deserve more
victories. They are the best fans in the world”, declared Randy Carlyle, whose
team obtained only one win in five home games at the Air Canada Centre.
Stuck
in their own territory during the start of the game, the Habs had multiple
blunders.
“It
was our worst match since the beginning of the season. We started flat, and
lost all our one-on-one battles. However, I felt that we were ready before the
game”, said Francis Bouillon.
During
the first minute of play, Leo Kamarov benefitted from a lack of communication
between Alexei Emelin and Andrei Markov to score his first goal in the NHL.
Next,
Tyler Bozak, forgotten by Erik Cole in front of the net, did not have any
difficulty to double Toronto's lead, 2-0.
Cole
on the bench
It
was a terrible shift for Cole who, a few seconds before letting Bozak score,
lost the face-off to the left of Carey Price.
Overall,
it was not a great match for the 34 year old veteran. Therrien quickly realised
and relegated Cole to the fourth line towards the end of the first period.
After
Brandon Prust and Travis Moen were given a chance, Brendan Gallagher was
selected to complete the Habs second line with David Desharnais and Max
Pacioretty.
The
rookie took advantage of the opportunity, not missing his chance to show his
presence while being on the attack and refusing to let himself be bullied after
the whistle blew. He even started a fight against Michael Kostka.
An
Attempted Comeback
The Canadiens had
their best moments during the second period. At this time, James van Riemsdyk
had already put Toronto ahead 3 to 0. Cole, who ended up showing signs of life,
and Brian Gionta obtained the best scoring chances for the Habs.
Phil
Kessel, Korbinian Holser and Dion Phaneuf finished off the 6-0 massacre for
Toronto, Kessel and Phaneuf scored on the powerplay.
The Canadian play their next two games in Florida. First, they play Tampa on Tuesday and then the
Panthers on Thursday. Both games are at
7:30 PM (ET).
• Yannick Weber, for the 10th time in 11 matches, and Thomas Kaberle, for the fourth game in a row, were left on the side. In the stands, the two defenders were joined, with little surprise to anyone, by Ryan White whose double minor penalties against Buffalo on Thursday did very little to help his team win.
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