Maple Leafs beat Canadiens 1-0 in OT, preventing Montreal from wrapping up a playoff spot

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Montreal Canadiens’ Kaiden Guhle (21) and Toronto Maple Leafs’ Max Domi (11) fight during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Toronto, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

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Toronto Maple Leafs’ Nicholas Robertson (89) and Montreal Canadiens’ Cole Caufield (13) collide during first-period NHL hockey game action in Toronto, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

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Toronto Maple Leafs’ Nicholas Robertson (89) and Montreal Canadiens’ Mike Matheson (8) collide while skating after the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Toronto, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

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Toronto Maple Leafs’ Pontus Holmberg (29) and Montreal Canadiens’ Alexandre Carrier (45) battle for control of the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Toronto, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

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Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner (16) and Montreal Canadiens’ Juraj Slafkovský (20) collide during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Toronto, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

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TORONTO (AP) — Mitch Marner scored at 36 seconds of overtime to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 1-0 victory over Montreal and prevent the Canadiens from wrapping up a wild-card playoff spot Saturday night.

Marner got the puck in the high slot and beat goalie Jakub Dobes with a low wrist shot to far corner for his 26th goal of the season.

Anthony Stolarz stopped 15 shots for his third shutout of the season as Atlantic Division-leading Toronto secured home-ice in the first round of the playoffs.

The Canadiens gained a valuable point in the standings, but have dropped two straight after winning six in a row.

Jakub Dobes made 34 saves for Montreal.

Takeaways

Canadiens: Montreal also missed a chance to wrap up a playoff spot Friday night, falling 5-2 at Ottawa.

Maple Leafs:Leafs: With defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe both unavailable due to undisclosed injuries — and the club tight against the salary cap — Toronto was forced to play a skater short with just five defenseman.

Key moment

The Canadiens survived a two-man advantage for 18 seconds in the third period moments after Dobes robbed Nick Robertson at the side of Montreal’s net.

Key stat

The Canadiens’ trend of slow starts continued. Montreal fired just two pucks on target in the first period after putting up totals of four, four, four and five in the opening 20 minutes of the previous four outings.

Up next

The Canadiens host Chicago on Monday night. The Maple Leafs are at Carolina on Sunday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl