Game 377
Canadiens 4, Maple Leafs 3
Thursday, December 5, 1957
Forum de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
Two goals in the last 3½ minutes salvaged a 4-3 win for the Montréal Canadiens over the scrappy Toronto Maple Leafs here tonight.
The Leafs, down 2-0 going into the final 20 minutes, ripped back for three goals, and they appeared to have the league-leading Canadiens reeling. But only for a few minutes.
Dickie Moore, a Leaf nemesis for the past two seasons, scored the winning goal, his second of the night, with only 20 seconds left in the game and Toronto defenceman Jimmy Morrison in the penalty box for hooking Henri Richard.
Moore also scored his first goal in the second period on a power play.
A crowd of 13,875 cut loose with a terrific rumpus following Moore’s winner. They shouted for fully a minute, littered the ice with programs and delayed the game for about five minutes.
This was a game that started slowly, picked up speed in the second period, and developed into a thrilling, wid eopen struggle in the third period. The Leafs, maturing faster than many people expected, had the drive and desire to win, but they couldn’t hold out against the Canadiens’ overpowering pressure in the final few minutes.
Marcel Bonin, a utility forward with the Canadiens, also scored two goals for them tonight. Ron Stewart, Frank Mahovlich and Tod Sloan scored for the Leafs. Stewart, who played another brilliant game on defence, also helped set up Mahovlich’s goal.
The Canadiens had their wispy centre ace Henri Richard back in the lineup tonight. He missed the Leafs-Canadiens goalless draw in Toronto a night earlier. Henri helped set up two goals, and he was a constant threat throughout the game with his rushes.
The Leafs managed to stall the Canadiens’ brutal power play during a five minute major to Sloan in the second period.
Sloan, after hitting the goal post on a close-in shot, with Jacques Plante beaten, high sticked Bonin in a scuffle in the corner. Bonin’s lip was cut. He subsequently required three stitches and Sloan took five minutes.
Sloan, Harris and Mahovlich were the Leafs’ chief offensive threats, and the Cullen brothers (Brian and Barry) with Bobby Pulford also gave the Canadiens plenty of trouble.
Bonin scored his first goal at 12:09 in the first period, rapping in a pass from Henri Richard. Richard stole the puck from Barry Cullen in the corner to goalie Ed Chadwick’s right.
Moore made it 2-0 late in the second on a power play. He steered in a corner pass-out from Bernie Geoffrion while Bobby Baun was off for holding.
The Leafs tied the score in fewer than two minutes early in the third. Sloan, who missed the net with his shot, picked up his own rebound, passed it back and Stewart rammed a long shot past Plante from the left point. Mahovlich scored on a similar play, while the Canadiens were short, slapping Dick Duff’s pass into the net from about 40 feet out.
Near the three quarter mark of the period, Sloan and Harris combined on a rink-length romp to send the Leafs ahead. Harris gathered in a pass from Morrison, zigged and zagged through the Montréal defence of Tom Johnson and Guy Talbot, and laid a pass on Sloan’s stick. Sloan flipped a backhander into the far side of the net with Plante hugging the post.
The Canadiens tied it in about two minutes, with Bonin rapping in a pass from Moore after Henri Richard had carried the puck into the Leafs’ zone.
Three minutes later Moore scored the winner. Tim Horton, at the centre ice red line, passed the puck back toward his own goal, supposedly to kill time, but Moore grabbed the puck, passed to Jean Béliveau, who relayed it to Geoffrion.
Geoffrion, blocked by Bobby Baun, pushed the puck ahead to Moore, and he barely slid it across the goal line.
NOTES: Referee Red Storey and linesman Matt Pavelich handled the game by themselves. A second linesman failed to appear…The Leafs used defenceman Marc Réaume only sparingly. He is bothered by a bruised shoulder…Jim Trimble, coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and coach of the Eastern All Stars in Saturday’s Shrine game here Saturday, faced off the puck to start the game. Other members of the All Star teams were introduced to the crowd.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, December 6, 1957
BOXSCORE
1st Period
MTL PEN – 07:34 – Provost, holding
MTL GOAL – 12:09 – Bonin (Richard, Johnson)
TOR PEN – 13:07 – Baun, fighting major
MTL PEN – 13:07 – Bonin, fighting major
2nd Period
MTL PEN – 03:30 – Harvey, holding
TOR PEN – 05:50 – Sloan, high sticking major
TOR PEN – 11:47 – Mahovlich, roughing
MTL PEN – 11:47 – Johnson, roughing
TOR PEN – 16:06 – Baun, holding
MTL PP GOAL – 16:28 – Moore (Geoffrion, Harvey)
3rd Period
TOR GOAL – 02:32 – Stewart (Horton, Sloan)
MTL PEN – 03:43 – Moore, tripping
TOR PP GOAL – 04:17 – Mahovlich (Stewart, Duff)
TOR GOAL – 14:19 – Sloan (Harris, Morrison)
MTL GOAL – 16:23 – Bonin (Moore, Richard)
TOR PEN – 17:50 – Morrison, holding
MTL PP GOAL – 19:40 – Moore (Béliveau, Geoffrion)
GOALTENDERS
MTL – Plante (W, 28-31)
TOR – Chadwick (L, 30-34)
SHOTS ON GOAL
MTL – 11+13+10 = 34
TOR – 9+9+13 = 31
ROSTERS
MTL – Goaltenders: Jacques Plante. Defence: Doug Harvey, Tom Johnson, Dollard Saint-Laurent, Jean-Guy Talbot, Bob Turner. Forwards: Jean Béliveau, Marcel Bonin, Bernie Geoffrion, Phil Goyette, Don Marshall, Dickie Moore, Bert Olmstead, André Pronovost, Claude Provost, Henri Richard.
TOR – Goaltenders: Ed Chadwick. Defence: Bobby Baun, Tim Horton, Jim Morrison, Marc Réaume. Forwards: Gary Aldcorn, Barry Cullen, Brian Cullen, Dick Duff, Billy Harris, Frank Mahovlich, Rudy Migay, Bob Pulford, Tod Sloan, Ron Stewart.
TEAM RECORDS
MTL – 15-4-4 (.739)
TOR – 8-12-5 (.420)
ATTENDANCE
13,875
Two Solitudes 