Campbell, Leafs Hold off Canadiens To Take Series Lead

Toronto commands the series lead with a 2-1 win over Montreal. The Leafs outshined the Montreal Canadiens in regulation. 

Cole Caufield made his NHL Playoff debut in Montreal Monday night. We saw vintage Carey Price shine through with some rather impressive and “how does he do it?” type saves. Montreal struggled on the power play, though Toronto did not look much better as neither team could capitalize with a man advantage. 

William Nylander leads the Toronto Maple Leafs in scoring. The forward earned his third goal in three games during the second period. Nylander had 42 points through 51 games this season. The 25-year-old now has 103 career playoff goals. Nick Suzuki answered with his first of the series. Scoring would not slow down there. Morgan Riley buried one behind Carey Price. 

Carey Price has 91 saves on 98 shots faced. There’s something mystifying about the man. You could argue that he is one of the most inconsistent consistent goalies in recent years. He’s one of the best players to watch. Through three, he has a .929SV% He might garner a bit more respect if his team wanted to show up and score.  Jack Campbell has made 78 saves on 82 shots faced, earning a .951 SV%. The days of failed playoff goaltending may be a thing of the past as Campbell has taken over Fredrik Andersen’s spot. 

Physicality was not absent in game 3. Shea Weber took down Auston Matthews but the Leafs star was nothing but smiles. Both teams racked up 10 minutes in penalties. The power plays struggled and fans were begging the teams to decline the extra man. Special teams couldn’t get it done tonight the way they had previously. 

The teams are back at it in Montreal for game 4 at 7:30 tomorrow night. It’s early in the playoffs and I’m unsure why we’re seeing back to backs. Will the Habs tie it back up or will Toronto string together three consecutive wins?

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