Canadiens at Maple Leafs
THE STORY: The Montreal Canadiens may still be a longshot to reach the Stanley Cup playoffs, but they have everything clicking as they visit the rival Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday as part of Hockey Day in Canada festivities. Montreal has won three consecutive games, but still finds itself nine points back of the eighth-place Maple Leafs heading into Saturday's contest. Toronto has dropped a pair of one-goal decisions since reeling off its own three-game winning streak.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBC, RDS
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (22-24-9): Scott Gomez is probably sleeping a little easier these days. The maligned center had a power-play goal in Montreal's 4-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday night, his first tally in more than a calendar year. To his credit, Gomez said the milestone goal meant more coming in a victory. "I want to score goals but all of you have played sports and you know that the most important thing is to win," he said.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (28-21-6): With a three-game jaunt through Western Canada on the horizon, Saturday's game at the Air Canada Centre represents the last chance for Toronto to build some momentum before hitting the road. The game will be a special one for the home side, as the Maple Leafs honor former captain Mats Sundin with a pregame ceremony. Sundin spent 14 years in Toronto and is the franchise leader in goals (420) and points (987).
OVERTIME:
1. Toronto has won two of three meetings between the teams this season.
2. The Maple Leafs haven't surrendered a power-play goal since Dec. 31.
3. Montreal is just 14-9-6 when scoring first, boasting a .483 winning percentage - the third-lowest mark in the NHL.