Leafs clinch playoff spot with 4-1 win over Canadiens

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Not that it comes as a surprise, but the Maple Leafs clinched a spot in the playoffs on Wednesday night with a 4-1 victory over the Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Toronto needed a triumph in regulation time coupled with an Ottawa win over Vancouver and got both to punch a ticket to the Stanley Cup tournament for the fourth time in five years.

The Maple Leafs, who have led the NHL’s North Division all season, got early goals from William Nylander and Auston Matthews en route to becoming the first team to secure a playoff position in the NHL’s all-Canadian North Division.

They knew that was within their grasp as they headed out onto the ice, thanks to the early starting time in the Senators-Canucks game.

“We talked about it beforehand and said, “Let’s get it done here,’” Sheldon Keefe, the Toronto coach, said. “It is a good accomplishment with games remaining but we also acknowledged that we are working toward bigger things.”

Toronto is now assured of getting another chance to win a first-round series, something it has not achieved since 2004. Montreal, which has faded badly after a jack-rabbit start, is the most likely opponent, and a very favourable draw at that. The Maple Leafs have won five of seven contests between them during this COVID-19-shortened campaign, with three encounters still to come.

It is the first time they have beaten the Canadiens five times in a season since 1967. That was also the last time they won the Stanley Cup.

The Canadiens have lost in nine of their last 13 outings and it took them less than two minutes to fall behind. Nylander tipped a pass from Mitch Marner past Montreal goalie Jake Allen on a power play to put Toronto ahead with 18:22 left in the first period. It was Nylander’s 15th goal of the season.

Matthews then stripped a puck from Canadiens centre Nick Suzuki and deposited it in the net in less than a blink of an eye to increase the lead to 2-0 with 11:16 remaining before the first intermission. Nick Foligno and Morgan Rielly drew assists; the latter also had a helper on Nylander’s score. It was the 35th goal of the season for Matthews, the NHL leader.

“It’s a treat to watch him,” Jack Campbell, the Toronto goalie, said. He had 31 saves as his record improved to 14-2-1. “He is a world-class player, and that’s just another glimpse.”

The Maple Leafs added another when a long wrist shot by Jake Muzzin was deflected through Allen’s legs by one of his teammates with 13:33 remaining in the second. The goal was only the third in 47 games for the big defenceman and his first in six weeks. Joe Thornton and Jason Spezza were awarded assists, for the 41-year-old Thornton it was the 1,100th of his career.

Between them, Thornton and the 37-year-old Spezza have 1,715 assists combined.

“Those guys have accomplished a great deal,” Keefe said. “They have been elite players for a long time. 1,100 assists? I think I probably never even touched a puck 1,100 times.”

Keefe played 125 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning over three seasons.

Suzuki atoned for his earlier error when he beat Campbell through a screen to cut the Canadiens deficit to 3-1 a little less than five minutes before the teams headed to their dressing rooms for the second intermission.

But the die was cast by then for Montreal, which has only won twice all season when it trails after two periods. The Maple Leafs have lost only twice in regulation time when they head into the third with a lead.

Adam Brooks finished the scoring with 11:45 left in the third, his third goal in six games with Toronto. Spezza picked up an assist on that one, too, tying him with Montreal great Maurice Richard with 996 points for his career. That is 99th-best in NHL history.

“Every day you come to work and are in awe to see Jason and Joe Thornton in the same locker room,” Campbell said. “I laugh to myself on my way home and say, ‘Hey, I am buddies with those guys.’”

All in all, it was not a great Wednesday for the Canadiens.

Earlier in the day, they announced that forward Jonathan Drouin was taking an indefinite leave from the team for personal reasons. The club said Drouin, who has two goals in 44 games this season, was being placed on long-term injured reserve. He had sat out the three previous games with what was vaguely described as a “non-COVID related illness.”

“The most important thing is for him to take care of what he needs to take care of,” Montreal interim coach Dominique Ducharme said during a morning video call with journalists.

The Canadiens don’t look anything at all like they did when they came out of the gate in January. Ducharme took over behind the bench on Feb. 24 after Claude Julien was fired. At the time, Montreal had an 9-5-4 record and was fourth in the NHL’s all-Canadian North Division. It is still fourth, but has won only 12 of 30 games since Julien was ousted.

The Canadiens were also without starting goalie Carey Price, who suffered a concussion against Edmonton on April 19. Price had just returned to the lineup after missing six games with a lower-body injury when he suffered the head injury against the Oilers.

The 33-year-old has a 12-7-5 record and a .901 save percentage, the second-worst of his career.

Ducharme offered no timetable for Price’s return.

“It is always tricky, but he is headed in the right direction,” Ducharme said.

The Maple Leafs are back at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night to meet the Canucks. They have clinched a postseason berth, but feel there is still work to be done.

Thornton was just 18 when he broke into the league with the Boston Bruins. His beard is long and gray, and he has yet to win a Stanley Cup.

“Step One is done,” Thornton said.