The Leafs' win over the Montreal Canadiens was an important one for the Buds. The notion that the game was closer than it should have been, given the cavernous gap between the two Atlantic Division rivals in the standings, is completely irrelevant. The score did not reflect how dominant the Leafs were in the contest and, were it not for the play of Sam Montembeault in goal for the Habs, the Leafs could have easily run away with the game.
Per head coach Sheldon Keefe, after Matthews notched his 51st goal in his last 50 games, he and the veteran Spezza shared a look on the bench.