TORONTO – Andrew Shaw sold out. With his Montreal Canadiens tied 2-2 in three-on-three overtime, he sensed an opportunity and blazed a streak right up the centre of the ice. Having spotted his on-the-move teammate, Tomas Plekanec chipped the puck to the centre of the ice and the second Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen decided to pursue it from the opposite direction of Shaw, some fairly dramatic outcomes were suddenly in play.
The one we saw was a doozy, with Shaw scoring the game-winner before spinning out and slamming into the boards at a significant speed. It was akin to a racecar crashing into the wall right after taking the checkered flag.
“If he didn’t score there, he would still be on the ice,” joked Montreal’s Alex Galchenyuk.
The fact Shaw did find the net meant all kinds of good things for Montreal on Saturday night in Toronto, as the Canadiens won a 3-2 thriller. First and foremost, a Habs team having all kinds of trouble hanging on to its Atlantic Division lead gained two valuable points.
Then there’s the fact Shaw, acquired in the off-season from the Chicago Blackhawks, came through in exactly the type of big moment Montreal envisioned when they traded for him and his championship pedigree. Too many times this season, Shaw has given people a reason to question the six-year, $23.4-million deal he signed with the Canadiens as soon as he became a member of the franchise. From a three-game suspension in the pre-season for hitting from behind to a benching by former coach Michel Therrien borne out of too many boneheaded penalties, Shaw’s antics-to-heroics balance required adjusting.
Maybe things are starting to correct.
“That’s the player he is,” said goalie Carey Price. “He seems to come up with the big ones. He’s done it in Chicago his whole career. That was a big one for us. I’m really happy for him because he’s worked really hard for it.”
In addition to his two points—No. 65 also drew an assist on a goal by Max Pacioretty—the Montreal right winger was in the mix all night. Whether it was driving hard to the outside, battling on the boards or getting in Andersen’s grill, Shaw tapped reserves of that fighting spirit we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from him—especially when W’s mean the most.
“Favourite time of year,” Shaw said. “The season is so long sometimes it gets, I don’t want to say boring, but it’s repetitive. Now it’s that time when we all grew up watching and wanting to be a part of.”
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Beyond Shaw’s performance, the Canadiens could certainly get used to a few other things they saw against the Leafs. The win itself was just Montreal’s third in its past 11 outings, while Galchenyuk scored for only the second time in a dozen games.
Galchenyuk also registered a nice assist on Pacioretty’s power-play goal during a sequence the Montreal captain both started and finished. After the Leafs had cleared the puck, Pacioretty got on his horse, won it back in the neutral zone and returned his team to the offensive. When Galchenyuk took control just inside the Leafs blue line and slid a puck across the high slot, Pacioretty made no mistake on the one-timer.
Montreal’s other tally came courtesy of Max Pacioretty on a power play sequence he both started and finished. After the Leafs had cleared the puck, the Montreal captain got on his horse, won it back in the neutral zone and returned his team to the offensive. When Galchenyuk took control just inside the Leafs blue line and slid a puck across the high slot, Pacioretty made no mistake on the one-timer.
“I thought we played very desperate hockey tonight,” said Price.
Of course, few Habs wins occur without significant contributions from the goalie himself and this was no exception. Price—who’s had his ups and downs since a hot start to the year—was especially brilliant during a second-period stretch that featured a lethal Toronto power play going to work. Connor Brown, Nazem Kadri and James van Riemsdyk were all thwarted from close in by the puckstopper, but no save in that run topped the one Price made on Auston Matthews by shooting his glove hand out and getting just enough puck to keep it out of the net.
“That’s the Carey Price we’ve got used to seeing and it’s nice to see him back playing that same way,” said Canadiens coach Claude Julien. “He’s given us a chance to win, he’s also given us confidence because we know if there’s a breakdown, he’s making the save.”
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Matthews, who netted both of Toronto’s goals, had one final chance to get the better of Price in overtime, but his breakaway shot was denied in the most maddening fashion.
“Just got a knob on it,” said Price. “Any player will tell you he hates that, but I’ll take it.”
So will a hurtin’ Habs team that showed signs of finally setting itself straight.
