Mitch Marner defeated the Montreal Canadaens 1-0 on Saturday night to reach 36 seconds of overtime.
Anthony Stolarz saved 15 saves to register his third closing ceremony of the season for Toronto (49-26-4), winning the first round of the playoffs.
Leaf also continued to lead the Atlantic Division, rising four points in the Tampa Bay Chargers.
Jakub Dobes stopped 34 shots for Montreal (39-31-10). The Canadiens have a valuable point in the standings, but have now dropped twice in a row after winning six straight games.
Montreal had a chance to win the final universal card of the Eastern Conference for the second straight night after defeating the Ottawa Senator in the U.S. capital 5-2 on Friday.
Marner ended the game during overtime after Strars robbed Canadian captain Nick Suzuki on the other end.
Important points
LEAFS: Toronto was forced to skate with only five defensive players due to undisclosed injuries, as defenders Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe, the club clamped to the salary cap. Depth Center David Kampf (upper body injury) is also not available.
Canadian: Top prospect Ivan Demidov signed an entry-level deal earlier this week after contracting with KHL’s SKA Saint Saint Petersburg, where he first won an optional morning skating match with his new team on Saturday morning. The 19-year-old Russian striker may make his NHL debut on Monday.
Critical moments
The Canadian survived 18 seconds in the third phase after Dobbs robbed Nick Robertson’s pointed tip on the Montreal net side.
Key statistics
The Canadian’s slow trend continues as the shooting clock begins. Montreal played two hockey players in the first stage alone, putting four, four, four and five hockey players in the 20 minutes of the team’s first four outings.
Next
Leaf: Visiting Carolina Hurricane Sunday.
Canadian: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.
