Alex Newhook scored two goals as the visiting Montreal Canadiens held on to top the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 on Saturday.
Trailing 3-0 after two periods, William Nylander and Gavin McKenna scored in a 55-second span to cut the gap to 3-2 with 12:46 remaining in regulation. But Montreal’s Zachary Bolduc responded with a power-play goal five minutes later as the Canadiens won for the seventh time in eight games.
A flurry of Maple Leafs broke through Montreal’s defensive box-out and descended on goal in the third period. Several errant sticks took whacks at a rolling puck, but McKenna was the one to lift it up and over Fowler to make it 3-2 7:14 into the final frame.
Bolduc responded with a one-timer 12:15 after a pass from Lane Hutson to give Montreal a two-goal cushion.
Chris Kreider scored his third as a Canadien while Jacob Fowler (8-1-1) turned away 26 shots for his eighth win of the season. Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves and has now allowed three goals or more in 11 of 12 starts.
Newhook received credit for an inadvertent opening goal at the 5:56 mark of the first period. His centering pass struck the skate of defenseman Jake McCabe and then the pad of a backtracking Bobrovsky before sliding over the goal line.
He scored again, tipping in Kaiden Guhle’s wrist shot from the blue line 13:06 into the first period.
Kreider intercepted a wayward Gavin McKenna pass in his defensive zone and zipped away on a breakaway. The veteran left winger surprised Bobrovsky with an early wrist shot from the high slot to make it 3-0 at the 12:57 mark of the second period.
Nylander spoiled Fowler’s shutout 6:19 into the third period with a one-timer on the power play. Darren Raddysh slipped the puck to Nylander, who was already winding up near the faceoff dot. Arber Xhekaj had been sent to the penalty box for unsportsmanlike conduct after an altercation with Teddy Blueger.
The Maple Leafs failed to capitalize on a Juraj Slafkovsky double minor late in the game.
Toronto’s bad run of luck continued as defenseman Morgan Rielly left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury.