Canadiens-Maple Leafs: Leafs Beat Habs at Their Own Game

In a time of political uncertainty, unjust wars and collapsing economies, the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs showed last night that the game of hockey is as healthy as ever.

In sixty minutes bursting with end-to-end chances, the Maples Leafs beat the heavily favoured Canadiens at their own fast-paced, highly-disciplined game by a final score of 6-3. 

There was plenty of speed and clever passing on display from the very first face-off, with the Leafs unexpectedly outrunning and outshooting the Canadians early.

Things turned ugly before the game was five minutes old when Montreal’s Tom Kostopoulos chased Toronto defenseman Mike Van Ryn to a loose puck, and delivered a questionable hit from behind that sent Van Ryn face-first into the glass. 

Van Ryn collapsed to the ice and was later pronounced to have suffered a concussion, a broken nose and a broken finger.

Kostopoulos was immediately handed a game misconduct and it is likely that further disciplinary action from the league will follow.

On the ensuing Leafs power play, Niklas Hagman scored the first goal of the game, his first of a pair on the night. 

Hagman (6 goals, 6 assists) continues to shine for the Leafs, but he wasn’t the only Leafs off-season acquisition to contribute in the game.

Former Canadiens top-prospect, Mikhail Grabovski, who wasn’t good enough to crack the Habs roster with any regularity last season, put on a performance that has to cast some doubt on the decision to trade him to Toronto.

Grabovski (7 goals, 3 assists) created chances every time he was on the ice and he had the entire Canadiens bench thirsting for his blood by the end of the night. 

Saku Koivu had words for the youngster early in the game and even highly-disciplined Habs forward Andrei Kostistyn took a run at Grabovski in the third.

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