The Maple Leafs are looking to build on one of their best efforts of the season when they visit the Bell Centre for an HNIC matchup against the surging Montreal Canadiens (7:00 p.m. EST, Sportsnet/CBC).
The parity-filled NHL’s 82-game regular season is as much about when you catch a team on the schedule as who you’re playing, and the Leafs are catching Montreal at a very high point. The Canadiens have beaten Florida, Tampa, Vegas, Colorado, Washington, and Dallas during their recent 11-2-1 run that has propelled them back into the playoff race; they’re currently tied with Ottawa in points percentage for the second wildcard spot.
The Habs lead the league in goals per game since the middle of December thanks to balanced offensive production — nine forwards above .5 points per game in the last month — and are in the top five in goals against in that span. In net, Czech rookie Jakub Dobes is 4-0-0 with a .963 save percentage, while tonight’s starter, Sam Montembault, has won seven of his 10 starts during the team’s heater despite a pedestrian .900 save percentage; the Habs are allowing only 26.3 shots per game (just 24.5 on home ice), and they’ve killed over 87% of their penalties.
At some point, Montreal is bound to snap back to reality after shooting 12.85% over all situations during the 11-2-1 run, and the Leafs are hoping to start them on their way back down to earth in their final visit to the Bell Centre this season.
Unsurprisingly, the Leafs are leaving their lineup intact from their impressive 4-3 OT win over New Jersey on Thursday, with one exception: Ryan Reaves enters the lineup on the fourth line in place of Connor Dewar after the Lorentz – Kampf – Dewar unit played just five minutes and change against the Devils.
Reaves was re-inserted into the lineup against Dallas last week and ended up playing just 5:16 (seven shifts) in a 4-1 loss. This is a four-line-balanced Habs team, and Reaves will need to be more physically impactful and trustworthy for this call by Berube to make sense in a tough matchup on the road.
Game Day Quotes
Auston Matthews on the challenge presented by the Canadiens:
They are a team playing with a lot of confidence. At certain points in a season, you can really find a rhythm, and they have obviously found it as of late. It is going to be a big challenge for us.
It’s an exciting game. It’s a game we should all be excited to get up for. It is going to be a good atmosphere in here tonight.
Jake McCabe on Leafs vs. Habs on a Saturday night:
It is always fun. Montreal is playing really well right now, too.
You can feel the energy in the city walking around. There are a lot of Leafs fans and a lot of Habs fans. It is a cool environment to be around.
I obviously didn’t grow up in it like a lot of Canadians did, but I have definitely grown to love it.
McCabe on picking up where he left off with Chris Tanev after returning from injury:
We just hope to bring some calmness and attention to detail in our end. We are trying to be clean with the puck and generate momentum in that sense — stopping plays and getting it going the other way. We read off of each other pretty well and have similar mindsets out there. It has been working pretty well.
Max Pacioretty on the importance of McCabe’s return to the lineup:
You saw last game how valuable he is to this group. Defense is so important in this league right now. If one guy goes down, it kind of mixes up the whole shuffle. For a guy that important to our group on and off the ice, we felt it big time. It is nice to see him back and contributing.
Pacioretty on the process of learning a new role in Toronto compared to the role he played in Montreal earlier in his career:
I am just learning more about different areas of the game. You can wonder why I would want to learn all of that, but you have a whole new appreciation for guys who go out there and maybe don’t get the benefit of the doubt every night when they are not feeling good.
You have a whole new appreciation for guys who have had to grind throughout it all. Nothing has been handed to them. When you are able to overcome adversity like that, it makes you a better person and a better player. I have had different types of adversity in my career, but this is a little different. I am just enjoying the grind.
Craig Berube on what he’s hoping the team will carry forward from the win over New Jersey on Thursday:
I thought we controlled the game, to be honest with you. Our second and third efforts were excellent, as well as our battles. We played the game fast with tons of offensive-zone time and shot attempts. We were on our toes. We played as five-man units in all three zones.
Berube on the decision to insert Ryan Reaves into the lineup for tonight’s game:
It is a big game in Montreal. It is a big rivalry. They have some physical players over there. We have to be physical tonight.
They are playing extremely well, playing fast and using their skill. They have some really good skill over there. We have to make sure we are ready to go. We have to play a heavy game.
Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis on the buy-in from his group:
As coaches, you have to sell. Our job is to convince them why we want to do things a certain way. If they are not convinced, they are not going to buy in.
We are selling. We are trying to sell and show examples. We have conversations and debates. I think it is a very open forum. There is a direction where we want to be.
I have always said that I don’t think I am a dictator. I will lean on my players and ask for their opinion, but it is not about being a “right” fighter. It is just about getting it right for the group.
Our job is to hold them accountable to our truth.
Head-to-Head Stats: Maple Leafs (28-16-2) vs. Canadiens (22-18-4)
In the 2024-25 regular season statistics, Montreal holds the advantage in four out of five offensive categories, but Toronto holds the advantage in four out of five defensive categories.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#23 Matthew Knies — #34 Auston Matthews — #16 Mitch Marner
#74 Bobby McMann— #11 Max Domi — #88 William Nylander
#67 Max Pacioretty — #29 Pontus Holmberg — #89 Nick Robertson
#18 Steven Lorentz — #64 David Kampf — #75 Ryan Reaves
Defensemen
#22 Jake McCabe — #8 Chris Tanev
#44 Morgan Rielly — #51 Philippe Myers
#95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson — #25 Conor Timmins
Goaltenders
Starter: #60 Joseph Woll
#35 Dennis Hildeby
Extras: Fraser Minten, Simon Benoit, Connor Dewar
Injured (IR): John Tavares, Anthony Stolarz
Injured (LTIR): Calle Jarnkrok, Jani Hakanpää
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lines
Forwards
#13 Cole Caufield — #14 Nick Suzuki — #20 Juraj Slafkovsky
#92 Patrik Laine — #77 Kirby Dach — #15 Alex Newhook
#17 Josh Anderson — #28 Christian Dvorak — #11 Brendan Gallagher
#55 Michael Pezzetta — #71 Jake Evans — #40 Joel Armia
Defensemen
#48 Lane Hutson — #8 Mike Matheson
#72 Arber Xhekaj — #58 David Savard
#21 Kaiden Guhle — #45 Alexandre Carrier
Goaltenders
Starter: #35 Samuel Montembeault
#75 Jakub Dobes
Injured/Out: Emil Heineman, David Reinbacher
