Youth vs. veterans when Maple Leafs face Canadiens
MONTREAL -- The Toronto Maple Leafs boast a collection of talented youth learning the ropes. The Montreal Canadiens are an experienced group with high aspirations. The two different paths will cross Saturday night at the Bell Centre when the longtime rivals square off for the first time this season. Both sides are coming off big wins, but the roads to get there have been remarkably different. The Maple Leafs overcame two one-goal deficits in Thursday's victory over the Florida Panthers, snapping a four-game losing streak during which blown third-period leads became a habit. The Canadiens, meanwhile, rallied from a one-goal deficit of their own in their last outing against the Tampa Bay Lightning for their sixth straight win. Alex Galchenyuk tied the score and Max Pacioretty delivered the winning goal. But while offense is expected from Galchenyuk and Pacioretty, Montreal has been able to count on contributions from throughout its lineup. "We've played a lot of hockey, but we haven't really relied on too many individuals to take over," Pacioretty said of his team, which closed out a stretch of four games in six nights, including a back-to-back. "When we have everyone rolling like this and we have everyone in the game and making a difference, it makes it easier to play back-to-back and a lot of games at once. It's been great." Among those Canadiens on a roll is defenseman Shea Weber, who leads the team with nine points in eight games. He has been held off the scoresheet just twice so far this season, including Thursday night, which snapped a four-game point streak for the 31-year-old. Youth has been leading the way in Toronto, as has been expected. Auston Matthews, the first overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, leads the Maple Leafs in goals (six) and points (10). Fellow youngsters William Nylander and Mitch Marner sit second and third in team scoring and own a share of the team lead in assists (five) with 24-year-old rookie defenseman Nikita Zaitsev. Marner picked up three of those helpers in the 3-2 win over Florida, and on all three showed off the high-end skill that made him the fourth overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. It was a bounce-back effort for the 19-year-old after struggling in Tuesday's blowout loss to Tampa Bay. "Just putting the puck in good areas," Leafs winger James van Riemsdyk said of Marner. "He already has that ability to know where guys are without necessarily seeing them." Production from the kids was what the team was hoping for as it continued its rebuild. What wasn't expected were the struggles goaltender Frederik Andersen has been facing when Toronto traded for and signed him to a five-year, $5 million deal in June. "This would be as many good chances as we've given up all year probably, and we turned the puck over as much as we have, period, but the goalie was good," Leafs coach Mike Babcock said after Thursday's win. "It just goes to show you how important goaltending is. I'm real happy for Freddy." |