Canadiens 4, Maple Leafs 2
MONTREAL -- Left winger Max Pacioretty scored two goals and added an assist to help lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.
Canadiens goaltender Carey Price made 34 saves for Montreal (15-9-3), which has gone 5-0-1 in its last six games.
Goaltender Jonathan Bernier stopped 35 shots for the Maple Leafs (14-10-3), who have struggled in November after a strong October to open the season.
Pacioretty opened the scoring on the power play just 58 seconds into the first on a breakout pass from defenseman P.K. Subban deep in the Montreal end. Pacioretty, alone at the Toronto blue line, skated in alone on Bernier and, after his first few shots were saved, finally got the puck into the back of the net.
Toronto thought it had tied the game just over five minutes into the frame when defenseman Dion Phaneuf's point shot beat a screened Price.
But the goal was waved off by referee Chris Rooney for goaltender interference.
Subban doubled Montreal's lead late in the first on some quick work off the faceoff. Center David Desharnais won the draw and dished it off quickly to Pacioretty, who sent it to Subban at the point. The Canadiens' blue-liner moved shiftily into the high slot for his fourth of the season.
Center Tomas Plekanec added to the Canadiens' total at 15:05 of the second when left winger Daniel Briere found him with a cross-ice pass in the right circle.
Pacioretty scored his second of the night just over two minutes later when he beat Maple Leafs rookie defenseman Morgan Rielly along the boards and broke in on Bernier for a short-handed marker.
The visitors finally got on the board at 18:10 of the second period when left-winger James van Riemsdyk, stationed to the right of the net at the Canadiens' goal line, roofed a nifty shot over Price for his 12th of the year.
Leafs left winger Mason Raymond made it a game just 22 seconds later from a similar spot with a bigger opening.
NOTES: Toronto D Cody Franson left warm-ups early with a lower-body injury and did not play while C Peter Holland and LW Frazer McLaren were healthy scratches. ... Montreal scratched C Ryan White, LW Michael Bournival and D Francis Bouillon. ... Canadiens RW George Parros and Maple Leafs RW Colton Orr renewed acquaintances with a fight in the second period. Parros missed 12 games with a concussion suffered after his chin hit the ice following a fight with Orr in the season opener between the two clubs. ... Maple Leafs RW Phil Kessel played in his 42nd career game against Montreal, the most of any player on Toronto's roster.
