Canadiens 4 - 1 Maple Leafs
Final
  for this game

Canadiens beat Leafs, seal up No. 6 seed

Apr 10, 2011 - 4:24 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Brian Gionta scored two goals and the Montreal Canadiens sealed up the sixth playoff seed in the Eastern Conference with a 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Montreal finished with a 44-30-8 record and 96 points tied for sixth with the Sabres, who also ended with 96 points after winning against the Blue Jackets on Saturday. However, Montreal will get the sixth spot because it holds the tiebreak with more non-shootout victories.

Ryan White and Tomas Plekanec each posted a goal for the Canadiens, who split the season series with Northeast rival Toronto and will play another division rival, Boston, in the first round of playoffs. Carey Price made 27 saves in the win.

Phil Kessel scored to finish with 32 goals in the season for the Maple Leafs, who will not make the playoffs and finish their season 37-34-11. James Reimer allowed all four goals on 34 shots.

"I have a sour taste in my mouth on the way things went tonight," Leafs head coach Ron Wilson said. "In a couple days that will go away."

Montreal set the pace quickly and tallied two goals just over the first six minutes of play. White's wrister from the center of the left face-off circle was the first goal and his second of the season.

Gionta then lit the lamp at the 6:12 mark on the power play. Scott Gomez's slick backhand pass from the corner went right to Gionta, who slammed it home from the inner portion of the left circle.

Kessel put Toronto on the board seven minutes later when he took the puck down the right boards and snapped a shot between Price's legs.

The score remained 2-1 for most of the second period until Gionta got his second power-play goal with 3:40 left. This time, he jammed home a rebound off of Yannick Weber's shot from the left point.

Plekanec then tacked on the fourth goal with 6:31 left in regulation.

Game Notes

The Canadiens finished 20-19-2 as the visiting club this year...Toronto went 18-15-8 as the host this season...Montreal was 2-for-3 on the power play, while the Maple Leafs were 0-5...Tom Pyatt had two assists.






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