MONTREAL — In the end, the Montreal Canadiens fell short by two.
And we’re not just referring to goals in this 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but also elite-level forwards.
It’s the main difference between these teams, and it has influenced the outcome in all three games they’ve played against each other this season.
Hence Toronto’s 3-0 season-sweep of the Canadiens, which was mostly marked by the opportunism of their uber-talented team.
If this historic and rich rivalry is to have some much-needed oxygen blown into it in the near future, it’ll depend entirely on the Canadiens continuing to add talent to match that of the Leafs. Because despite their best efforts this season—and they were totally respectable ones—they couldn’t come close enough to beating them in that department.
Saturday’s game provided the most glaring example. It didn’t matter that the Leafs slept-walked through a goalless first period, and even for the first couple minutes of the second and large swaths of the third. Max Domi and Auston Matthews scored 17 seconds apart in the 23rd minute of play, and another two goals in 34 seconds from middle-sixers Matthew Knies and Bobby McMann padded the cushions and allowed their team to recline and practically cruise to victory despite there being more than half a game remaining.
They knew then—and so did we—there was only so much the Canadiens would be able to do about it.
They battled on this Saturday night at the Bell Centre, just like they did on the other two occasions they met the Leafs. They controlled much of the play and even got goals from their best scorers, just like they did in their other two games against Toronto.
But it just wasn’t enough.
“Our collective game is really good right now,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis.
But not even he could deny how much better it might be with a couple more one-shot scorers to rely on.
“It’s always a part of it,” St. Louis said of the talent discrepancy, and it was undeniable.
Just as it has been against the other great teams that the Canadiens have brought a good fight to without being able to land knockout blows.
It’s been the difference against most of the league, actually.
This was Montreal’s 47th loss (regulation, overtime and shootout combined) in 76 games this season. It was by two, but so many of them have been by a single goal and illustrated just how much their lack of talent up front has reduced their margin of error to practically nil.
Whereas the Leafs can spread theirs over three scoring lines—Matthews was on the first, Mitch Marner and John Tavares were on the second, and William Nylander was on the third for this game—and take advantage of whatever chances they create to win.
Normally, they’d have posted many more Grade-As than they did against the Canadiens in this one. But at this point of the season, this close to the playoffs, with the main incentive to make it through the game physically unscathed, up against a team far enough behind them in the standings and in talent, they didn’t need to.
Mike Matheson, who played excellent for the Canadiens—registering assists on both their goals to bring his season tally to 55 points—summed up that luxury as follows: “That’s why they’ve got a guy that’s chasing 70 goals; doesn’t take them much to capitalize.”
The Canadiens may not get a player capable of potting 64 in 75 games, the way Matthews has this season. Heck, no one probably will, considering he could be the first player to crack 70 since Alex Mogilny and Teemu Selanne each scored 76 in 1992-93.
But acquiring a couple more players who can do what Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield already do for them will completely change the complexion of their team, especially given how far the collective game has, in fact, come.
A healthy Kirby Dach returning from an injury that’s kept him out for all but five periods this season will help a lot. Alex Newhook putting one more step in front of the big one he’s taken forward this season will, too. They’re former first-round picks who can make a difference.
Juraj Slafkovsky, who was taken first overall in 2022, is proving he’ll also make one.
But Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes is going to have to use his surplus on defence and his plethora of picks to bring in more and bring it in soon if the Canadiens are going to start beating the Leafs instead of just competing with them.
“We really feel comfortable playing against these top teams,” said Brendan Gallagher. “We’re not where anybody would hope to be in the standings, but we do have a lot of confidence against these teams. I think going into next year, we feel ready to take a jump anyway, so hopefully we can execute that as a group here.”
A little more talent will make the difference.