MONTREAL

Habs come up short in 4-2 loss to Leafs

Published Wednesday, February 10, 2021 10:23PM EST

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price hangs on to the puck after making a save during second period NHL hockey action against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Montreal on Wednesday, February 10, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Text:

MONTREAL -- Justin Holl and Ilya Mikheyev scored 42 seconds apart early in the third period as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 on Wednesday night.

Travis Dermott and Zach Hyman, into an empty net, had the other goals for Toronto (11-2-1), which got 33 saves from Frederik Andersen. Jake Muzzin added three assists and John Tavares had two as the Leafs improved to 8-0-1 over their last nine games.

Josh Anderson and Tomas Tatar replied for Montreal (8-3-2). Carey Price stopped 20 shots.

The Leafs increased their lead over their Original Six rival atop the NHL and all-Canadian North Division standings to five points inside the Bell Centre, which would have been rocking in a normal season, but instead remains devoid of fans because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Auston Matthews saw a career-high goal streak snapped at eight games for Toronto, but he extended his point streak to 11 contests. Mitch Marner, meanwhile, saw his eight-game point streak come to an end.

The Canadiens have a quick turnaround with the Edmonton Oilers waiting in the wings Thursday in the second half of a back-to-back, while the Leafs will head home to prepare for Saturday's rematch with Montreal -- the third of 10 meetings between the clubs in 2021.