TORONTO (AP) — Mitch Marner scored at 36 seconds of overtime to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 1-0 victory over Montreal and prevent the Canadiens from wrapping up a wild-card playoff spot Saturday night.
Marner got the puck in the high slot and beat goalie Jakub Dobes with a low wrist shot to far corner for his 26th goal of the season.
Anthony Stolarz stopped 15 shots for his third shutout of the season as Atlantic Division-leading Toronto secured home-ice in the first round of the playoffs.
The Canadiens gained a valuable point in the standings, but have dropped two straight after winning six in a row.
Jakub Dobes made 34 saves for Montreal.
Takeaways
Canadiens: Montreal also missed a chance to wrap up a playoff spot Friday night, falling 5-2 at Ottawa.
Maple Leafs: With defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe both unavailable due to undisclosed injuries — and the club tight against the salary cap — Toronto was forced to play a skater short with just five defenseman.
Key moment
The Canadiens survived a two-man advantage for 18 seconds in the third period moments after Dobes robbed Nick Robertson at the side of Montreal’s net.
Key stat
The Canadiens’ trend of slow starts continued. Montreal fired just two pucks on target in the first period after putting up totals of four, four, four and five in the opening 20 minutes of the previous four outings.
Up next
The Canadiens host Chicago on Monday night. The Maple Leafs are at Carolina on Sunday night.
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