William Nylander and the Leafs make quick work of failing the Canadians

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William Nylander scored twice and added an assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Canadiens 5-1 on Monday night at the Bell Center.

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The Canadiens fell behind early after Jonathan Drouin was ejected for hooking Nicholas Robertson in the first minute of the game. That gave Toronto’s veteran-laden power play a chance to do its thing and Mitch Marner set up Nylander for a 1-0 lead.

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Zach Aston-Reese made it 2-0 at 8:40 after defenseman Corey Schueneman had trouble handling a bouncing puck in the Canadiens’ zone. Justin Holl cornered the loose puck and set up Aston-Reese, who beat Jake Allen with a flick of the wrist.

The Canadiens had a power play midway through the period, but it was wasted because Montreal struggled to get into the zone and, on at least three occasions, errant passes resulted in the puck going out of the zone. The power play went 1-for-4, going empty with a 5-on-3 lead for 52 seconds into the third period.

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Nylander scored his second goal at 5:52 of the second half. Robertson came out with the puck from a scrum along the right-hand boards and found Nylander alone up front. The Swede met Allen one-on-one and hit a backhand under the crossbar.

Seconds later, rookie Juraj Slafkovsky tested Matt Murray with a one-shot off a dropped pass, but Murray challenged the Slovakian and made a fine save with the glove. Last week, general manager Kent Hughes said Slafkovsky’s play during rookie camp and the first week of regular camp was disappointing, but this game was the best effort by the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Playing with Kirby Dach and Mike Hoffman, he skated with confidence. He took eight shots, four of which found the net, two were blocked and two were high and wide.

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Drouin, who is recovering from his third wrist surgery in as many years, lined up with newcomer Sean Monahan and Josh Anderson. Drouin scored the Canadiens’ only goal in a scuffle in front of the net during a third-period power play. It was his first shot of the night and he had two draws. Slafkovsky netted the puck and got an assist for his first point of preseason.

Nylander added an assist from Alexander Kerfoot’s third period goal and Kerfoot added a power play goal with 1:18 left.

While the game was played at a fast pace, the ice at the Bell Center did not live up to its reputation as the best in the NHL. The puck bounced around too much and there were numerous instances where players lost their balance.

The Canadiens are back on the ice Tuesday when the Ottawa Senators visit the Bell Center (7 pm, TSN2, RDS, TSN-690 Radio, 98.5 FM). Montreal concludes the preseason with two Kraft Hockeyville games against the Senators. They play Thursday in Gander, Nfld., and Saturday in Bouctouche, NB.

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