What a Game and a HUGE Learning Experience for "THE LEAFS YOUNG GUNS"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs have truly embraced the role of spoiler.
John Mitchell scored the shootout winner Saturday as the Maple Leafs dispatched another playoff-bound opponent, beating the Montreal Canadiens 3-2.
Toronto has won six of its past seven games and is playing its best hockey of the season. Four of those victories have come in overtime or a shootout.
Mitchell and Nikolai Kulemin beat Jaroslav Halak in the shootout and Jonas Gustavsson was able to stop two of the three Montreal attempts, sealing the victory with a save on Brian Gionta.
Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel scored in regulation for the Maple Leafs (26-34-12), who still sit 29th in the overall standings.
Gionta had both goals in reply for Montreal (36-29-7).
It wasn't a particular busy night for Halak or Gustavsson -- two of the hotter goalies in the league. Gustavsson made 25 saves and extended his personal win streak to five games while Halak turned aside 31 shots.
The Habs squandered a chance to leapfrog Ottawa and Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference standings. They entered on a six-game winning streak and would have moved into fifth with another victory.
There was very little intensity in a game between the old rivals.
Bozak opened the scoring with his seventh goal of the season at 16:05 of the opening period. The rookie had a wide open net after a shot from Kulemin hit the post and bounced out to him.
The Habs managed to tie the score before the period was out as Gionta raced up the right wing and beat Gustavsson with a backhander the Leafs goalie would probably like to have back.
Kessel put the Leafs back in front with a wicked shot from the top of the circle that beat Halak to the glove side at 18:15 of the second period. The Leafs winger has six goals in his last six games and is closing in on the 30-goal mark for the second straight season.
However, Toronto soon found itself in penalty trouble.
The Leafs were able to kill of a four-minute high-sticking call to Jamie Lundmark, but surrendered the tying goal after Fredrik Sjostrom went off for tripping.
Gionta was standing in the high slot and tipped a Scott Gomez shot behind Gustavsson at 13:54 of the third period.
That set the stage for overtime -- the fourth time that's happened in five meetings between the teams this season
ps litttle C. at least i got drafted,.... enuff attention to you..(habs fans only get one second of notoriety)
Please! You couldn't even get drafted by the LEAFS!