Hockey
Canadiens 4-2 Maple Leafs: Newhook strikes twice and Fowler stands tall as Montreal's point streak reaches 10
On Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena, the Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to stretch their point streak to 10 games. Alex Newhook scored twice in the first period, Jacob Fowler made 26 saves, and Montreal held on after Toronto cut a 3-0 lead to 3-2 in a 55-second burst early in the third period.
Newhook, two goals in thirteen minutes
Alex Newhook is not known as a pure goal scorer, but when he scores one, a second often follows — and Saturday was another of those nights. He opened the scoring on a puck that pinballed home off a defender in front, then struck again before the first period was 13 minutes old, and the Canadiens were suddenly 2-0 up in enemy territory. Chris Kreider made it 3-0 in the second period, his third goal as a Canadien, after picking off a cross-ice pass from Toronto rookie Gavin McKenna intended for Jake McCabe and skating in alone.
Fowler, the answer after Winnipeg
Four nights earlier, Jacob Fowler was in goal when the Canadiens blew a 4-0 lead in the final 2:39 of regulation and lost 5-4 in overtime to the Winnipeg Jets — the latest four-goal comeback in NHL history. On Saturday, the 21-year-old rookie answered in the best possible way: 26 saves, his eighth win of the season, and a calm presence while Toronto pressed. Coach Martin St. Louis said afterwards he was not surprised Fowler was not rattled. At the other end, Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves for Toronto and has now allowed three goals or more in 11 of his 12 starts.
Toronto's push, and McKenna's difficult night
Trailing 3-0 after two periods, the Leafs finally woke up. William Nylander and Gavin McKenna scored 55 seconds apart to make it 3-2 with 12:46 left, and Scotiabank Arena came alive. McKenna, the 18-year-old first-overall pick of the 2026 draft, scored his sixth goal of the season — but the teenager also committed two turnovers that led directly to Montreal goals, and after the game he pointed to his team's lack of preparation. Zachary Bolduc ended the comeback five minutes later, beating Bobrovsky with a power-play one-timer set up by Lane Hutson. It was Bolduc's sixth goal of the season and his third on the power play, out of eight power-play goals for Montreal this season. Toronto also lost defenceman Morgan Rielly to a lower-body injury early in the second period, and he did not return.
A streak, a tie at the top, and a date with Minnesota
Montreal improves to 11-3-3, 8-0-2 in its last 10 games, with seven wins in its last eight. The Canadiens are now tied with the Boston Bruins at the top of the Atlantic Division with 25 points, and they have beaten the Maple Leafs five straight times. Toronto falls to 8-8-2, losers of four of its last five. Montreal played without Josh Anderson, out for personal reasons, with Owen Beck moving up alongside Jake Evans and Chris Kreider. The Canadiens also killed a double-minor for high-sticking on Juraj Slafkovsky over the final 3:33 to seal the win. Next up: the Canadiens host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Bell Centre, while the Leafs host the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.