NHL: Canadiens out to extend rival Maple Leafs' woes

The Montréal Canadiens aim to strengthen their playoff push and deliver another blow to the Toronto Maple Leafs when the Original Six rivals face off Tuesday in Montreal.

Montreal currently holds the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, just one point behind the third-place Detroit Red Wings in the Atlantic Division. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs sit at the bottom of the division, having lost all seven games (0-5-2) since returning from the Olympic break.

Juraj Slafkovsky starred for Montreal on Saturday, recording two goals and an assist to help the Canadiens rally for a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings. The former top overall draft pick had only four assists since the Olympics before his breakout performance.

“I want to be the guy that takes the game over, and we have a bunch of guys here that can do it,” Slafkovsky said. “Obviously, I want to be one of them as well. Today, it could be me. Next game, it could be someone else. But the mindset to be the guy that changes the momentum, that’s important.”

Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis praised Slafkovsky’s development.

“I think it’s just an evolution,” St. Louis said. “All along, two, three years ago, we were trying to get him to improve and think big picture. He’s still very young, and who knows how high his ceiling is, but it’s very, very high.”

Captain Nick Suzuki contributed a goal and two assists, while Jake Evans also scored. Suzuki has nine points (three goals, six assists) and Evans five (two goals, three assists) during their respective four-game point streaks.

Goaltender Jakub Dobes made 36 saves against the Kings to improve to 10-1-2 in his last 13 games.

“I feel like I bounced back better,” Dobes said, reflecting on his 7-5 loss to the San Jose Sharks last Tuesday. “I just tried to be myself and play my game. I don’t think I’m any different than the last game.”

Toronto hopes to move past its 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Saturday, a defeat that saw the team booed off the ice.

“We have 18 games left, so we have to battle and work through this,” goaltender Anthony Stolarz said. “You hate to hear the boos with a minute left.”

Matias Maccelli extended his point streak to five games (three goals, two assists) with a goal against the Lightning.

Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, who leads the team with 26 goals, is in the midst of an 11-game goal drought. He last scored against the Canadiens in Toronto’s 5-2 victory on Oct. 8.

Meanwhile, Montreal’s Cole Caufield, the team’s leading scorer with 37 goals, has five goals and two assists in his last five games. He also scored in regulation and the shootout during the Canadiens’ 2-1 win over Toronto on Dec. 6.

—Field Level Media/Reuters