TOR@MTL: Game recap

MONTREAL -- Fans were back at the Bell Centre, and the Canadiens put on a show.

Monday's game was the Habs' first with the Bell Centre operating at 50% capacity since the team started playing behind closed doors due to COVID-19 restrictions in December.
The arena was at reduced capacity, but fans still rocked the house while being treated to five Montreal goals in a one-sided affair.
The game also saw the Canadiens celebrate Black History Month via a variety of initiatives, including warming up in special jerseys featuring the Pan-African colors. The jerseys are already up for auction at
black.bidandraise.com
and will benefit the Pour 3 Points organization.
Montreal opened the scoring for a third consecutive game to start the evening. Josh Anderson received a pass from Jeff Petry in the slot and stayed with the play to bang home the night's first tally. Cole Caufield also earned an assist on the play -- his sixth point in as many games.

Caufield and Anderson teamed up once more at the end of the frame to make it 2-0 after 20. Caufield sped into the zone then waited for an Anderson pass before burying a blistering one-timer.

Sam Montembeault stopped all 11 shots he faced in the period.
Back for the second and the Canadiens kept the offence going. Mike Hoffman made it 3-0 just 0:38 into the period, skating in and firing a precise shot up high.

The home side did not ease off the pressure with the lead, scoring two more less than two minutes apart before the game was 40 minutes old.
Josh Anderson made it 4-0 with his second of the game at 15:58, with assists from Caufield and Nick Suzuki.

Rem Pitlick rounded out the second period scoring with his tenth of the season to make it 5-0 heading into intermission.

The Leafs came alive in the third, opening the stanza with a pair of quick markers. Ilya Mikheyev got Toronto on the board at 4:43 before Pierre Engvall doubled the score at 5:28.
But that's as close as the visitors would get, giving Montreal a third straight win and second in as many days.
The Canadiens will be back in action on Wednesday, when the team plays host to the Buffalo Sabres.