NHL: Canadiens hand Maple Leafs 8th straight loss

Rookie Oliver Kapanen and Philip Danault each scored in the first period to lift the host Montreal Canadiens to a 3-1 victory over the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.

Jake Evans added an empty-net goal with 28 seconds left in the third period, sealing Montreal’s third win in four meetings with Toronto this season.

Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobe made 17 saves, including a spectacular right-pad stop on Toronto captain Auston Matthews, improving his record to 11-1-2 in his last 14 games.

Montreal’s leading scorer, Cole Caufield, appeared to sustain an injury and was limited to just 10:27 of ice time. He skated gingerly during a television timeout and played sparingly in the third period.

Defenseman Lane Hutson notched an assist to extend his point streak to four games.

Toronto’s William Nylander scored in the second period, while Joseph Woll stopped 30 shots for the Maple Leafs, who have lost eight straight games (0-6-2) since the Olympic break.

The Canadiens dominated the first period, outshooting Toronto 18-5 and building a 2-0 lead. Kapanen backhanded a loose puck past Woll at 4:46 for his 20th goal of the season. Kapanen also scored in Montreal’s 5-2 loss to Toronto on Oct. 8.

Just under 10 minutes later, Kaiden Guhle’s dump-in took a fortunate bounce in front of the net, allowing Danault to settle the puck and score from close range for his fifth goal of the season—all since being acquired from the Los Angeles Kings.

Nylander converted a return pass from Easton Cowan at a sharp angle to cut the deficit to 2-1 with 5:27 remaining in the second period. The goal was Nylander’s 22nd of the season and the fourth during his ongoing six-game point streak.

-Field Level Media/Reuters