Game 482
Canadiens 4, Maple Leafs 1
Thursday, March 18, 1965
Forum de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
The unusually aggressive Montréal Canadiens sped away from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third period last night, scoring three goals to obtain a 4-1 victory, before the largest crowd of the season at the Forum, 15,683.
In regaining second place by a point over the Chicago Black Hawks, the Canadiens remained three points behind the National Hockey League leader Detroit Red Wings. Each team has five games remaining. They do not oppose each other.
The win for Montréal was additionally impressive, since they played without their best centre, Henri Richard, who has a knee injury, and regular left winger Dave Balon, sidelined by an injured shoulder.
Jean Béliveau, slowly regaining stride after a frustrating season, scored twice. The Habs could have had two or three more, had they taken full advantage of the opportunities he set up. The goals were his 13th and 14th of the season.
John Ferguson, whose muscular deportment showed the way for the Habs in that department, also scored the actual winning goal. Dick Duff got the only tally of the first 40 minutes.
For the Leafs, Don McKenney scored to make it 2-1. He has shot two goals since returning from Rochester, both in the Forum.
Although showing some improvement over their recent ineptitude, the Leafs squandered the few good scoring chances they had in the first and second periods. Their shooting was atrociously inaccurate.
By comparison, the Canadiens were on the mark throughout and only Terry Sawchuk’s alert goaltending saved the Leafs from a more humiliating defeat. His work, particularly at the expense of Claude Provost on power plays, kept the Leafs within range until Béliveau made it 3-1 at the 8:03 mark of the final period.
The Canadiens gained momentum as the game progressed, perhaps because of the Leafs’ six hours of practice Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
But manager-coach Punch Imlach said “I don’t care. It’ll hurt now, but help in the playoffs.”
The Canadiens also repeatedly beat the Leafs to the puck in the corners.
Montréal had a shots-on-goal edge of 42-27, as they kept the Leafs winless through a fifth game. The Leafs have had one win and two ties in their past 11 contests.
The Leafs played the final 39 minutes and 15 seconds with only three defencemen, a factor, however, that did not contribute noticeably to the margin of defeat.
Allan Stanley rested a groin injury in Toronto and Kent Douglas departed after suffering a hand injury on Duff’s scoring play.
He was shoved in a puck-seeking melee and landed on his shoulder. In the process he jammed his thumb. Jamming the same thumb kept him out of action three weeks ago.
Then Jacques Laperrière trapped the puck at the blueline and shoved it ahead to Duff. He fired a 20-footer to the far side.
Eddie Shack earned an assist on Ferguson’s goal, which was his sixth (of 17) against the Leafs. Shack gave the puck away less than 15 feet from Sawchuk, who was handcuffed by Ferguson’s quick shot.
Béliveau won the draw on a faceoff in the Leafs zone, then broke through to take Bobby Rousseau’s pass, faked Sawchuk and scored easily.
Sawchuk was the author of his own trouble on Béliveau’s other goal, the only power play score of a game in which referee Vern Buffey imposed 15 minors, eight on the Leafs. Sawchuk retaliated for a cross-check by Garry Peters by slashing the Montréal centre.
In demonstrating to Buffey what Peters had done to merit the slash, Sawchuk whacked the official with his stick and took a misconduct, his second in two weeks.
Forty-nine seconds later, Béliveau tipped Duff’s slapshot into the net.
Story originally published in The Globe & Mail, March 19, 1965
BOXSCORE
1st Period
TOR PEN – 02:29 – Baun, holding
MTL PEN – 04:52 – Harris, charging
TOR PEN – 05:20 – Douglas, boarding
MTL PEN – 08:20 – Ferguson, tripping
MTL PEN – 09:44 – Talbot, high sticking
TOR PEN – 10:39 – Douglas, slashing
MTL PEN – 15:18 – Harris, interference
TOR PEN – 17:31 – Stewart, tripping
2nd Period
MTL GOAL – 00:45 – Duff (Laperrière)
MTL PEN – 03:03 – Peters, slashing
MTL PEN – 04:12 – Tremblay, hooking
TOR PEN – 05:42 – Horton, interference
TOR PEN – 10:55 – Moore, tripping
MTL PEN – 19:30 – Laperrière, hooking
3rd Period
MTL GOAL – 01:53 – Ferguson
TOR GOAL – 03:04 – McKenney (Armstrong, Baun)
MTL GOAL – 08:03 – Béliveau (Rousseau, Laperrière)
TOR PEN – 09:31 – Baun, tripping
TOR PEN – 13:08 – Sawchuk, slashing + misconduct
MTL PP GOAL – 13:57 – Béliveau (Duff, Rousseau)
GOALTENDERS
MTL – Hodge (W, 26-27)
TOR – Sawchuk (L, 38-42)
SHOTS ON GOAL
MTL – 9+16+17 = 42
TOR – 8+8+11 = 27
ROSTERS
MTL – Goaltenders: Charlie Hodge. Defence: Terry Harper, Ted Harris, Jacques Laperrière, Jim Roberts, Jean-Guy Talbot, J.C. Tremblay. Forwards: Ralph Backstrom, Jean Béliveau (C), Red Berenson, Yvan Cournoyer, Dick Duff, John Ferguson, Claude Larose, Garry Peters, Claude Provost, Bobby Rousseau.
TOR – Goaltenders: Terry Sawchuk. Defence: Bobby Baun, Carl Brewer, Kent Douglas, Tim Horton, Red Kelly. Forwards: George Armstrong (C), Andy Bathgate, Ron Ellis, Dave Keon, Frank Mahovlich, Don McKenney, Dickie Moore, Bob Pulford, Eddie Shack, Pete Stemkowski, Ron Stewart.
TEAM RECORDS
MTL – 33-21-11 (.592)
TOR – 26-25-14 (.508)
ATTENDANCE
15,683
Two Solitudes 