Tomas Tatar scored two goals and Paul Byron had two assists as the Montreal Canadiens recorded a 4-2 victory over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.
The result snapped the Canadiens’ three-game losing streak, and improved their record to 2-3-1 against first-place Toronto this season.
The Leafs suffered their first regulation loss in 11 games (9-1-1) and saw their six-game winning streak snapped.
Jack Campbell lost for the first time in 12 outings, ending the Maple Leafs goaltender’s NHL-record streak of 11 consecutive victories to begin a season. Campbell stopped 21 of 24 shots.
Nick Suzuki and Josh Anderson scored Montreal’s other two goals.
Auston Matthews scored his league-leading 32nd goal of the season. The Toronto forward has scored in each of his last five games, and has 17 points (11 goals, six assists) over his last 10 games.
John Tavares also scored for the Maple Leafs.
Tatar put Montreal ahead after just 1:17 of action. A turnover and then a strangely deflected puck went right to Tatar in front of the net, and the forward buried the chance for his ninth goal of the season.
At the 7:53 mark, Suzuki extended the Canadiens’ lead on a power-play goal. It was a much-needed breakthrough with the extra attacker for the Habs, who were just 1-for-21 on power plays in their previous seven games.
The Maple Leafs had more giveaways (four) than shots (three) in a lackluster first period for the visitors, but they rebounded in the second frame to tie the score on the goals from Matthews and Tavares.
Just 85 seconds after Tavares’ equalizer, however, the Habs regained the lead on Anderson’s 15th goal of the season. Leading a two-on-one rush, Anderson faked a pass and took the shot himself, beating Campbell on a wrist shot.
Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen stopped 23 of 25 shots. Allen won for just the second time (2-5-4) in his last 11 games.
Zach Hyman recorded an assist on Tavares’ goal to extend his points streak to five games. Hyman has seven points (two goals, five assists) during the five-game stretch.
–Field Level Media