Game 214
Canadiens 4, Maple Leafs 2
Thursday, November 1, 1945
Forum de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
The Montréal Canadiens displayed too much power and speed for the Toronto Maple Leafs here tonight, and turned back the Stanley Cup holders 4-2 before a capacity crowd of 12,763.
By virtue of their victory, the Canadiens moved into a first place tie with the idle Chicago Black Hawks in the NHL standings with two victories each.
The Canadiens took an early lead in the first period, and there was little doubt as to the outcome after that. Toe Blake led the Habitants’ marksmen with two goals, making his total four in the first two games of the season. Joe Benoit and Dutch Hiller bagged the other Montréal tallies. Gaye Stewart and Mel (Sudden Death) Hill were the Toronto marksmen.
Benoit scored the first Montréal goal, moving right in on goalie Baz Bastien to take a pass from Buddy O’Connor. Stewart broke away after a Montréal ganging attack and evened the score, but Hiller lifted the Canucks into the lead again with a swift backhand shot on a pass relayed from O’Connor.
Blake increased the Montréal margin to 4-1 in the second period with two rapid goals. Maurice Richard set Blake in the clear for the first goal, and Blake faked Bastien out of position before he flipped the puck into an empty corner. Less than three minutes later, Blake was in again, picked up a loose puck near the goal mouth and beat Bastien with a vicious shot. Bastien had just made a brilliant save on a wicked shot by Richard, and had not recovered in time to stop Blake’s goal.
Hill picked up a pass from “Teeder” Kennedy just at the start of the third period, and scampered down the ice and beat Bill Durnan with a crossfire shot. Durnan and Bastien both performed handily. Bastien made the most spectacular save of the game when he stopped a high powered shot from Bobby Fillion so quickly that most of the fans thought the puck had struck the post.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, November 2, 1945
BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL GOAL – 03:55 – Benoit (O’Connor)
MTL PEN – 06:32 – Chamberlain
TOR PEN – 11:02 – Ezinicki
TOR GOAL – 19:03 – Stewart (Taylor)
TOR PEN – 19:40 – Goldham
MTL PP GOAL – 19:42 – Hiller (O’Connor)
2nd Period
MTL GOAL – 03:22 – Blake (Richard)
MTL GOAL – 05:29 – Blake
TOR PEN – 14:27 – Pratt
3rd Period
TOR GOAL – 00:27 – Hill (Kennedy)
GOALTENDERS
MTL – Durnan (W)
TOR – Bastien (L)
ROSTERS
MTL – Goaltenders: Bill Durnan. Defence: Butch Bouchard, Glen Harmon, Mike McMahon. Forwards: Joe Benoit, Toe Blake (C), Murph Chamberlain, Bob Fillion, Dutch Hiller, Elmer Lach, Leo Lamoureux, Buddy O’Connor, Jimmy Peters, Billy Reay, Maurice Richard.
TOR – Goaltenders: Baz Bastien. Defence: Bob Goldham, Moe Morris, Babe Pratt, Wally Stanowski. Forwards: Gus Bodnar, Lorne Carr, Bob Davidson, Bill Ezinicki, Mel Hill, Ted Kennedy, Nick Metz, Sweeney Schriner, Gaye Stewart, Billy Taylor.
TEAM RECORDS
MTL – 2-0-0 (1.000)
TOR – 0-1-1 (.250)
Two Solitudes 